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Inspired by people and horses

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SKY’S THE LIMIT Young gun following in father’s footsteps / p8

DON’T BOIL YOUR HORSE! Glenn Stewart advises to go slow / p25

BEHIND THE LENS:

MIKE COPELAND Award-winning photographer shares his favourties pics / p6

RED ALLISON BC Cowboy Hall of Fame / p5

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

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Inspired by horses and people

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CONTENTS

Volume 36 · Number 1 · January 2013 EDITOR Craig Couillard craig.couillard@fbcpublishing.com (403) 200-1019 SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER Crystal McPeak crystal@fbcpublishing.com (403) 360-3210 (866) 385-3669 (toll free) SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER Natalie Sorkilmo natalie.sorkilmo@fbcpublishing.com (403) 608-2238 SPECIAL PROJECTS – GLACIER AG MEDIA Tom Mumby glacieragproducts@shaw.ca (780) 459-5464 PUBLISHER Bob Willcox bob@fbcpublishing.com

METAL ART

MICHAEL PERKS Albertan proves his metal

THIS MONTH’S CONTRIBUTORS: Mark McMillan, Doris Daley, Robyn Moore, Cindy Bablitz, Amie Peck, April Clay, Craig Couillard, Wendy Dudley, Dianne Finstad, Heather Grovet, Anne Fullerton, Darley Newman, Dr. Carol Shwetz, Glenn Stewart, Carol Upton, Terri McKinney, Natalie Sorkilmo, Ted Stovin

PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY: Farm Business Communications 1666 Dublin Avenue Winnipeg, MB R3H 0H1 ADVERTISING DEADLINE Second Monday of the month.

SUBSCRIPTION RATES (includes GST) 1-800-665-0502 One Year: $30.45 Three years: $63.59 One Year Overseas & U.S.: $62.00 Make cheques payable to Horses All. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities.

Published Monthly by Farm Business Communications ISSN 0225-4913

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US POSTMASTERS HORSES ALL (ISSN 0745-7294) is published monthly for $62.00 per year by Farm Business Communications. c/o U.S. Agent, Transborder Mail, 4708 Caldwell Road E, Edgewood, WA, 98372-9221. Periodicals Postage Paid at Puyallup, WA, and additional mailing offices.

U.S. POSTMASTER: Send address changes (cover only) to Horses All c/o Transborder Mail PO Box 6016, Federal Way, WA. 98063-6016, U.S.A. None of the material, written or artistic, may be reprinted or used in any way without the specific permission of the editor. The opinions and statements expressed in the articles and advertisements found in Horses All are not necessarily those of the staff or owners. Therefore, HORSES ALL will not be responsible for those opinions or statements included in the articles or advertisements. However, the staff and owners of HORSES ALL would appreciate written notice of false advertising. The publisher reserves the right to refuse any advertising. While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of material published, no responsibility will be assumed for advertising received by telephone and in no case will liability be assumed for greater than the cost of the advertising when errors or omissions have occurred. HORSES ALL may not be held responsible for the loss or damage of any photographs, drawings, logos, manuscripts, etc., that are sent or brought to the office.

NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT Full, complete and sole copyright in any advertisement or editorial content bought or produced by HORSES ALL is vested in and belongs to HORSES ALL. No copyright material may be reproduced in any form with out the prior written consent of HORSES ALL. Horses All does not accept unsolicited manuscripts. Those received will not be returned.

16 PHOTO: MICHAEL PERKS

PROFILES

INSPIRATIONS

HORSE, HEALTH & HOME

HAPPENINGS

Dawn Rude Link

Mantracker

Winter horse hauling

Wadi Rum Desert

Where is she now?

Terry Grant releases new book

Tips from the experts

Equitrekking with Darley Newman

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COLUMNS A Breed Apart . . . . . . . . . .10 Back Country Travels . . . .26 Doing it my way . . . . . . . . .5 Equitrekking . . . . . . . . . . .31 Eye on the Industry . . . . .36 From the field . . . . . . . . . . .4 Get a Grip. . . . . . . . . . . . . 25 Going Down the Trail . . .32 Going in style . . . . . . . . . .18 Hands on horsekeeping . . . . . 28 & 30 Homeward Bound . . . . . .13 Hooked on bulls . . . . . . . .12

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31

FEATURES Horse Health . . . . . . . . . . .29 Horse Heroes . . . . . . . . . .10 In it to win it . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Inspirations . . . . . . . . . . .16 Our Way of Life . . . . . . . . . .6 Rhymes from the range . .20 Riding out of your Mind .27 Talking Back . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Time to chill. . . . . . . 19 & 20 Two-Bit Cowboy . . . . . . . .4 Where are they now? . . . .14 Women of the West . . . . .15 Young Guns . . . . . . . 8 & 11

@ HORSESALL.COM We're busy updating the Horses All website to bring you more exclusive content about people and horses from across the country. Watch for new features, contests and more coming soon. Visit today and sign-up for the Horses All enews – get the latest news delivered to you via email.

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Follow the daily updates, connect with other horse folks and see what's happening near you.

The Mercantile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 Profiles of exciting new product offerings from local businesses

Association News . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34-37 The latest happenings and goings-on

Calendar of Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Stay up-to-date on upcoming horse events

Marketplace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38 & 39 Classifieds and horse related businesses

Place your classified ad in Horses All! Call toll free: 1-866-385-3669 or email: crystal@fbcpublishing.com

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HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

OUT FRONT Welcome to Ho rs e s A l l new year’s resolu t i o n

CONTRI BUTORS

I hereby resolve to be a better friend Our relationship to family and friends is the only thing that counts in the end TWO-BITS FROM A TWO-BIT COWBOY Craig Couillard – Editor

B

y now, if you’re like me, you’ve probably made and already broken your New Year’s resolution.

Even though the Wranglers are fitting a tad tight these days, I can’t seem to stay committed to any kind of a fitness program.

I know I have to clean up my language a bit.

My two-year granddaughter loves to do chores with her Grandad but old cuss words seem to come out of nowhere when the young horses get to pickin’ on my 30-year old mare.

But there is one thing I’m sure to try harder at in 2013 — I want to be a better friend.

And my definition of a friend doesn’t exclude family. At this stage in my life, it means being a better husband, father, son, and brother. If I can’t be a good friend to those closest to me, how can I be a good friend to others?

Have you noticed that? A guy can be the best of friends but he doesn’t seem to treat his wife the same way. Or a wife has a great group of gal friends but is hard or judgmental with her kids.

So I need to start there… being a better friend to those closest to me.

But I’ve seen that strategy run amok as well.

As parents and grandparents, we can get so involved in the lives of our families that lifelong

friends are relegated to a Christmas card (which has become a dying art in itself).

I believe we all get these prompts or nudges from somewhere deep within us. A friend comes to mind and you wonder how they are doing. What we do next is the important step.

Often we just end up ignoring the prompt, and it gets lost in the “busyness” of life.

I get the prompts like the rest of you, and I’ve been trying to be better at responding to them.

I’m a big “list” guy so if I can’t do it right away, I’m going to write it down to do later.

Another thing — I don’t want to fall into the trap where I get resentful and bitter if the

calls or emails aren’t reciprocated. I’ve come to learn that, at the end of my days, I will only be accountable for what I said and what I did. How people respond to me is not up to me. So if I get the nudge to do something, I’m going to try harder to respond to it.

That’s what I love about Facebook. It’s not only been a great way to stay connected with friends, but I’ve also re-connected with many old friends that I’ve lost touch with.

And now, as Editor of Horses All, I’m making a whole new crop of Facebook friends.

We’ve all been in a place in our lives where a friend calls out of the blue… totally unexpected.

And we know how good that feels. So I’m not going to use “time” as an excuse. No matter how much time has lapsed since our last contact, if I get the nudge, I’m going to respond.

Who knows? Maybe I’m being prompted for a reason. Maybe my call is coming at a good time.

Maybe I can be a source of encouragement.

We all want to feel valued… feel like somebody cares. So I commit that I’m going to give a better effort to be a good…. no, make that a great friend.

Because, in the end, I hope to be surrounded by the love of family and friends, not the ‘material stuff’ I’ve accumulated along the way.

I’m still going to try and lose a couple of pounds. But the pounds will come and go… I don’t want that to be said about my friends.

That’s my two-bits for this month.

readers speak

Talking back Reader feedback — Send your comments to: craig.couillard@ fbcpublishing.com

Mark McMillan, with his wife Kathy run Meadow Springs Ranch, a small guest ranch in the South Cariboo, British Columbia. Kathy and Mark are both very active in the BC Cowboy Heritage Society which heads up the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame, the Kamloops Cowboy Festival, and numerous other cowboy concerts around the province.

In his spare time between all the ranch work and the many hours of volunteer work, Mark enjoys researching, writing, and taking photos.

Ted Stovin grew up in Drayton Valley, Alta., and attended college on rodeo scholarships in Hobbs, New Mexico and Las Vegas, Nevada. He’s a bull rider, writer, traveller and promoter of the sports of rodeo and bull riding in Canada through his website, EverythingCowboy. ca. You’ll find him at events such as the Calgary Stampede, Canadian Finals Rodeo, PBR World, and Canadian Finals and National Finals Rodeos throughout the year. Ted Stovin currently resides in Calgary, Alta. and will be profiling various athletes in his regular Horses All column — ‘Hooked on Bulls’.

Thank you so much for this spread — looked awesome!

(The Mercantile, December, 2012) — Lesley McGill, The Saddle Doctor via e-mail ... yesterday I got an order for a toiletry bag which was seen by the customer in your magazine, so thank you and your team for that. :) — Edwin Klis, Canada Leather Ltd.

Anne Fullerton is a freelance writer from Long Reach, New Brunswick. She grew up on a cattle farm that also boards horses from an island horsemanship camp on a nearby river. She loves taking a pleasure horse through the trails on her property, or checking out shows. She now lives in Toronto, where it’s a bit tougher to go on a trail ride.

Thank you for supporting the 2012 Calgary Stampede. In his wildest dreams, Stampede visionary Guy Weadick could not have foreseen the citywide, countrywide and worldwide celebrations that marked our Centennial in 2012. The festivities drew international media attention, broke attendance records and brought the community together.

— Bryce Weeks, Calgary Stampede via mail Thank you so much for your support of the inaugural 2012 Amazing Backcountry Race for STARS! This year was both surprising and gratifying when riders were able to raise a grand total of $19,300.

— Brenda Murcock via mail (see more on page 36 of this issue)

There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort — jane austen photo: Wendy dudley

BEHIND THE COVER Front cover © Thinkstock

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

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PROFILES Stories from People who Live, Work and Compete with Horses LIFELONG COWBOY

B.C. Cowboy Hall of Famer still cowboying at 86 Are there any more real cowboys? You bet…meet Red Allison

By Mark McMillan Meadow Springs Ranch, B.C.

H

e’s been riding his whole life and now, at 86 years young, he still thinks nothing of loading a horse in his stock trailer and heading out to the range by himself to check on his stock.

Red Allison was born June 27, 1926 and grew up in Kamloops, B.C. Other than a short stint near the end of the Second World War, when he had to herd war prisoners instead of cattle, he’s never really moved away from B.C. That year in the army, Red had to deliver prisoners to England. “At least I got to travel that year anyway,” jokes Red, “that was a paid holiday!”

Since his last school year in 1944, and one semester of college, he’s always either owned cattle and/or horses, or worked on ranches, including Harper Ranch, Art Bishop at 57 Mile, and Henry Cornwall at Cherry Creek.

In the spring of 1948 he rode the five day horseback trip to Alkali Lake where he worked that winter. The spring of ’49 saw him back at Cherry Creek and that fall he broke horses for Pete Cordonier in Barnhartvale before heading back to Alkali Lake for the winter.

In the spring of 1950, Red worked for the Circle S and was cowboss until 1958. It was here that he met his wife Dionne, and in 1954 they were married… now Red had to start herding kids — four boys in total.

In 1958 Red got “an interesting proposition” from a land developer in Fintry on Okanagan Lake. “They said I could stay there and use all the land for my own cattle and horses… all I had to do was show potential buyers the lots. That sounded good to me but it wasn’t long before things really blew up. Folks from the Prairies were sold lots on a rocky bluff with a narrow steep road and folks from Vancouver got lots in the fields with no view of the lake.

When the buyers saw these lots they just blew up. The Prairie people asked if there was another way in or out and I told them they could go down the lake if they wanted.

It didn’t take long and the government stepped in and I left!”

In 1959 Red was cowboss at the Gang Ranch. One time when riding out at Big Creek he decided to spend the night at Bruce Watt’s place. There was a murder mystery on TV that night and Red said that he and Dionne had been watching this series. That night the star demonstrated on his wife how the murder was committed and accidently almost drowned her. He had to give her artificial resuscitation. Dionne missed this episode and later when the guys got back to Red’s place, he had to tell Dionne what happened… at the point of the artificial resuscitation Red said, “… and he had to give her artificial insemination.” Well that’s how Bruce tells the story anyway, in his book “Chilcotin Yarns.”

In the early 60s, Red went from herdsman for Tranquille Farms to the Riske Creek. During the 11 years in Riske Creek he worked for the Gang Ranch managing their steer pasture, sorted cattle at the livestock yards, and broke horses for the public.

Red Allison, inducted in the BC Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2003, is shown here in a recent photo with his saddle which is part of the Museum of the Cariboo Chilcotin in Williams Lake, B.C. Inset photo: Red Allison has probably spent more time in the saddle in his lifetime than most people have spent in their car.

ABOVE PHOTO: MARK MCMILLAN INSET PHOTO: SUBMITTED

“…He worked for the Gang Ranch managing their steer pasture, sorted cattle at the livestock yards, and broke horses for the public”

Before he was married, Red competed in rodeo and later spent years as a pickup man and continued to rope competitively. In the early 1960s he was instrumental in starting the IARA (Interior Amateur Rodeo Association), which is now the BCRA who honoured him with a lifetime membership. He was a director and president of the Clinton Cattlemen’s Association, and a director for the

B.C. Cattlemen’s Association. Until quite recently, Red was a rodeo stock contractor and is still a bonded livestock dealer.

In 1973 Red managed the OK Cattle Co. in Big Bar and had 20 per cent ownership. He stayed there until 1981 when they moved to their current location on Mound Road in Clinton. Now during the time spent at Big Bar, a friend, Ronnie Tomlinson wanted help buying Twilight Ranch at Big Creek. Red went in as a shareholder and kept his cows there, doing a lot of the cowboying himself.

Now here’s where this part of the story gets interesting… and we see Red Allison’s true character.

Ronnie passed away and it was thought that there was no will so Twilight Ranch was left to Ronnie’s mother who sold it. A while later Red got a call from a lawyer in Williams Lake — turns out there was a will after all, but the lawyer who made the will had passed away and the files were passed on to another lawyer. This lawyer told Red it was a legiti-

mate will and that he could go after the money as the ranch had been willed to him. Red said, “no, don’t bother the poor lady. She already gave some to her family… no, I couldn’t do that.” Now that’s the cowboy way!

Sixty some years later, after Red’s wife passed away, he ended up getting together with Pete Cordonier’s daughter, Marie, who he had met back in 1949... guess it just took him a long time to get up the nerve to ask her on a date. Together they go for the occasional pack trip or day ride, and are just enjoying life. Last fall they once again went back to Edmonton for the CFR, proving that rodeo and cowboys are is in his blood, and has always been a big part of his life.

Red Allison was inducted into the B.C. Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2003. A few years back he was asked to sit on the selection committee and he’s been a terrific asset, as he seems to know everyone that worked off the back of a horse in B.C... and his memory is truly amazing!

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HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

P ROFILES PHOTOGRAPHER

Behind the lens with award winning rodeo photographer

Mike Copeman puts as much dedication into his craft as the rodeo competitors he photographs OUR WAY OF LIFE Making a living with horses

By Dianne Finstad Red Deer, Alta.

N

ot all of the championship dreams fulfilled in the arena at the National Finals Rodeo in Las Vegas last month came out of the chutes.

At least one was behind the lens of a camera.

Accomplished rodeo cameraman Mike Copeman marked his 15th straight year of being invited to serve as an official PRCA photographer at the NFR. “It only seems like yesterday when I was at my first one in 1998,” reflected Copeman. “I feel very fortunate to have had all these years of coming down.”

It may be surprising, but the reality is Copeman has to put as much practice and preparation into his job as the cowboys do theirs. That’s because, like the contestants, he only has seconds to get things right, and shoot history as it happens.

For Copeman, it’s all about capturing the “decisive moment,” and that’s what a compelling video on his website (www.mikecopeman. com) focuses on.

“It’s how I had to learn,” he explained. “Back then you had to click once, then move the lever with your thumb to get to the next frame.

If you didn’t nail it, you wouldn’t get the best shot.”

The Fort Saskatchewan talent performs his craft in a world where art meets sports journalism.

“There’s a brief instant in every sport that you’re trying to get. It’s the timing that all sports shooters talk about.”

That could be the peak of the slam dunk in basketball, or capturing the instant the ball hits the glove for a double play in baseball. In the case of rodeo, it’s that snapshot when a bucking horse has its hooves stretched out and the rider’s toes are perfectly in the point of the animals shoulders.

For Copeman, it’s about having well-trained instincts and a good eye, rather than holding down a button on a motor drive.

“I was taught you don’t need that.

People can lean on a motor drive as a crutch, and then not get the decisive moment; or if they do, it’s luck. And if you’re shooting with strobes, you can only safely get one shot every three-quarters of a second. The lights can’t keep up. On a good bronc ride, you need to shoot every jump, and with a bareback ride it’s probably every second jump. In an event like tie-down roping, you’ve got one chance to nail the right shot.”

Like champion riders, Copeman hasn’t reached the top of his profession without plenty of time in the practice pen.

“When I started I thought it would be cool to shoot rodeo all the time. To be at the CFR and NFR was a dream for me… you just have to dream, and keep working towards it.” Photo: 2011 NFR by Iona Copeman MIKE’S FAVOURITE PHOTOS

Left: “I’ve shot Blue Too jumping sideways in the air with bareback rider Lan LaJeunesse riding him at the ’99 NFR where he’s completely sideways on the second jump. That was the most spectacular tabletop shot I’ve ever got.” Below: Get Smart can be absolutely spectacular in the air. He amazes guys.

“When I started I was awful, with no timing whatsoever. I thought, ‘I’ve got to do better than this’ and that drove me on to keep working at it.”

That included the innovative technique of sitting down and watching rodeo on TV with his camera, without film inside, and just practicing timing the action.

“I did a lot of that, and thought I was the only one. But I was comparing notes with another PRCA photographer, and he’d done it too!

It was an excellent way to learn. I’d close one eye, and time exactly when to shoot the action.”

Copeman also admits it took some encouragement from key people for him to persist in honing his skills. In fact, it was his hometown rodeo committee that helped launch his career.

“I told them I’d rather shoot pictures than take tickets,” he chuck-

led. “But I soon learned shooting rodeo is a whole different deal than watching it.”

With the urging of Fred and Mary Ann Olson of the Fort Saskatchewan Silver Buckle Rodeo Association, Copeman took his camera to other local rodeos too.

“The truth is without the Olsons, I never would have embarked on this path.”

Fred Olson introduced Copeman to Diane Bailey of the Lakeland Rodeo Association, and with her encouragement as well, he was soon submitting photos to rodeo magazine and selling pictures to competitors. When Copeman got to shoot the Calgary Stampede from the sidelines the first time, he was hooked for good.

“When I got to see the guys who were getting it done every jump, I thought ‘Wow.’ I’ve got to

keep working on it, because this is where I want to be.”

By 1992, Copeman had set a date for making the leap from his regular paying job as a boiler maker to becoming a fulltime rodeo and commercial photographer. He’d invested enough weekends and vacation days into rodeo to know the business potential was there. It proved to be a good move.

Rodeo photography has always been a family affair for the outfit. His children often manned the booth selling pictures, and his wife Iona developed photography skills of her own.

“Even with my commercial work and rodeos, we didn’t feel it would be enough to feed a family. So we decided to cover more, and I told Iona I’d teach her.”

There were many weekends when husband and wife would be at rodeos in different towns, reuniting

Sunday night to process and print the new picture orders.

“She had timing,” states Copeman proudly. “I remember one weekend when she went to Wainwright and could only stay about 45 minutes, while I spent the whole weekend in Sundre. The PRCA wound up using two of her photos, and only one of mine! That’s skill.”

In fact, Copeman is quick to point out it was Iona who pioneered a new angle for barrel racing shots.

“It was one she took of Tammy Fischer at the Calgary Stampede and you can see her kicking straight out as she comes home. You can even see me behind the second barrel in the shot! Word got out, and now it’s one every barrel racer wants. It’s the shot photographers try to get of the barrel racers going home now, and Iona started it.”

Iona is still a very big part of what Mike does, but these days enjoys the marketing and filing end of the business, leaving her camera eye for capturing photos of the grandkids!

“She’s the smiling face everyone deals with, and she knows all the competitors and their families.”

A good rodeo photographer needs to be familiar with livestock anatomy, movement and patterns, plus have quick reflexes to get out of the way safely in the arena. But those were attributes Copeman had to learn.

“I was a city kid, so that was all new to me. (Former PRCA media director) Clay Gaillard told me lots of people try, but some are just born with those abilities. I still think they can be developed, but you’ve got to want it REAL bad. You have to immerse yourself in it, and understand what you need to capture. You get to where you can anticipate what you think will happen.”

There’s no doubt Mike Copeman has shown plenty of the “cowboy try” factor on the road to his decorated career. He’s been official photographer at the Canadian Finals Rodeo 16 times; along with his 15 NFR invitations and he’s been the official Calgary Stampede photographer for many years as well.

His photos have been published in magazines and papers across North America. In 2004, he was named Photographer of the Year by the PRCA. Despite the long days on the road, Copeman is not interested in slowing down his rodeo work.

“I’m still having fun. I get a break in the winter, and then I’m raring to go again. I’m just as excited as when I started. I feel really happy and blessed to be able to do all I do.”

Just as the cowboys he shoots are always in a quest for the perfect run or ride, Mike Copeman constantly works towards that same standard of excellence.

“It’s really nice to know that as good as a horse or bull and rider gave you, you got it all.

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

7

P ROFILES Dril l team

Canadian Cowgirls proud to promote the maple leaf This elite precision drill team’s hard work and enthusiasm pays off in award-winning performances WOMEN OF THE WEST Personal profile

By Anne Fullerton Toronto, Ont.

C

atching up with the Canadian Cowgirls is no small feat in itself. The girls and women who make up this elite drill team were bustling about for two days at the Royal Winter Fair, preparing themselves and their horses, having meetings and run-throughs, and performing at various events.

This busy weekend schedule is a small indication of the commitment they have for the team year round.

In turn, through their interactions and performances, they inspire hard work, knowledge, and awe-inspiring entertainment to their captivated audiences. The team rides all around North America, representing Canada and promoting Canadian patriotism.

The Canadian Cowgirls were founded 10 years ago by Terry Jenkins, who remains the team’s captain.

While at an equestrian conference, Terry learned that the CanAm Equine Show was lacking a Canadian drill team as there were none in existence at the time.

“So I told him I had a drill team,” Terry recalls. “I had two girls with me and they looked at each other and said, ‘she’s saying we have a drill team, we don’t have a drill team.’

I told them that it was my dream, and if you make a dream a goal, it will come true. So that night we all talked about how we could pull it off.”

And they did. Of those original eight members, six are still on the team, demonstrating the group’s loyalty and positive spirit. The Canadian Cowgirls now have 22 members, ranging in ages from 14 to 65.

The horses involved are as varied as their riders: “We have an array of horse breeds — as diverse as this great country,” explains Terry. “We have American Saddlebred, Arabian, Quarter Horse, Paint, Appaloosa, Mustang, and the backyard equine friend, but guess what, you put them all together and it’s a magnificent spectacle.”

It is indeed a spectacle. The group performed twice over the Royal Winter Fair weekend in the main arena, delighting and captivating audiences with their musical performances, daring stunts, tricky manoeuvres, and exceptional precision, all the while hoisting the Canadian flag.

The group also provided a different sort of performance in a more intimate educational ring. By having young volunteers act out a short choreographed line-dancing routine, the group pointed out the difficulty of doing similar manoeuvring on horseback.

The team also took this opportunity to encourage fun, patriotism, and learning about horses and oneself.

Terry explained to the audience that one never stops learning from

“It’s our hobby… and although it’s fun, it is taken seriously.”

— Terry Jenkins

horses, because no two experiences are the same. “A good horse person knows that when you think you know it all, you’ve stopped being open to learning.”

This openness to learning is passed on to the training that the Cowgirls take very seriously. Generally practices are once a week, but when summer hits so does a busy schedule, with the team performing over one hundred times a year.

Although the schedule is hectic, Terry explains they do it because they love it. “It’s our hobby… and although it’s fun, it is taken seriously. It’s about responsibility and self-esteem: girls are valuable, so valuable that they are to participate in every practice.”

While untacking, vice-president and instructor Marcy Tumble and newest member Christina Prelaz explained how that practice does pay off.

After taking lessons with Marcy for two years, Christina completed a one week drill camp with the Cowgirls, and became a member of the junior team. She joined the official team five days prior to this, her first show with the Canadian Cowgirls.

Marcy says that hard work and putting trust in the girls is what makes the progression happen so quickly and successfully. She says that the atmosphere helps train both the horses and girls — it’s a positive learning experience.

This team’s hard work has paid off with recognition on an international level. They have won awards for their performances at the Calgary Stampede, the Kentucky Derby, and the Indy 500 among many others.

The team’s spirits are high, and they make a point of passing that passion onto their audiences.

For more information or to book them, go to www.canadiancowgirls. com or follow them on Facebook.

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

P ROFILES Show jumper

Sky’s the limit for young show jumper Ben Asselin and his Olympian father hope to jump on same team

YOUNG GUNS Up and coming stars

By Wendy Dudley Priddis, Alta.

S

how jumper Ben Asselin describes his new mount with the enthusiasm of a rider developing a true partnership. “He’s very sensitive. You have to ride him soft, be delicate, and not get in his way,” he says of Rush, the 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood his family purchased a year ago.

Ben will spend 2013 developing the horse, with his sights set on the 2014 World Equestrian Games.

The two have clicked, winning a Grand Prix on the Young Riders European tour last May and competing this past summer in the World Cup Qualifier at Bromont, Que. Their success won them a debut on a seniors Nations Cup team which tied for second in Buenos Aires in November. “That’s the highlight of my career so far,” Ben said. “Since I started riding, I’ve always wanted to represent Canada as a senior rider.”

Ben is considered one of the sport’s rising stars, but he stresses it’s more important to be a good horseman than a perfect rider.

“I’ve spent a lot of time learning about horses, and what it takes to develop the bond you need in this sport. They’re your partner, your team mate. They have amazing personalities, if you don’t force them into situations.”

Ben spends as much time in the barn tending to his horses as he does on their backs. “That’s how you really get to know them, their characters, and how they behave.”

The first-year Mount Royal University student comes by his equine instincts naturally. His mentor, who happens to be his father and coach, is two-time Olympian Jonathan Asselin. “My dad is a true horseman. He’s so knowledgeable, and I look up to him.”

The family runs Attache Stables, near Priddis, southwest of Calgary.

As Ben hones his horsemanship, he’s jumping to great heights, making a name for himself in the last two years, after winning individual gold and team

gold in the 2010 FEI North American Junior Championships. With his Grand Prix wins in Europe and impressive ride in Bromont’s World Cup Qualifier, he made his debut in the senior Buenos Aires Nations Cup as its youngest member by 10 years. He put in two four-fault rounds, helping the team tie for second with Argentina. He then rode Rush to a fourth-place finish in the Buenos Aires Grand Prix.

“There’s a lot more pressure in a Nations Cup than in riding as an individual,” he said. “You just don’t want to let anybody down.”

But he handled his nerves like a real pro, heeding his dad’s advice to remain cool and focus on the job.

It may be only a 70-second ride, but every hoofbeat is a heartpounding workout, physically and mentally.

“The first few times I would come out of the arena and everything would be a fog, but now I remember every single step, every turn, every take-off. You really live in the moment when you’re out there.”

“You’re in a zone,” Ben added.

“From the time the bell rings, it’s an intense two minutes. When you ride beneath that clock tower, the feeling is just incredible.”

As his dad winds down his competitive career — Jonathan will campaign his horse Showgirl this year, before putting his energies into his son’s career — his goal for 2013 is to ride with his son in a Nations Cup. “We’d really like to be on the same team. That’s what we’re trying for,” said Ben who rides every morning before heading off to his university business classes. “Just in case,” he said. “I want to be a professional rider, but it’s good to have a back-up plan.”

In January, father and son will pack their bags and six horses for the winter jumping circuit in Wellington, Fla. “It would be a bit of a stretch to qualify for the Nations Cup there, but it’s not off the radar,” said Ben. Ben has horse sport in his blood. In addition to his dad’s jumping resume, he is the grandson of Ron and Marg Southern, co-founders of Spruce Meadows.

His aunt is Linda Southern, now president of the venue and his mother, Nancy Southern, is the facility’s vice-president.

Ben Asselin will spend 2013 further developing his new mount Rush. The two debuted in their first seniors Nations Cup in November, helping the team tie for second. Photos: Wendy Dudley

“From the time the bell rings, it’s an intense two minutes.”

— Ben Asselin

Rather than add to the pressure, Ben said having his family on hand in the International Ring during Spruce Meadows tournaments is a welcome bonus. “It’s been great growing up with all the support.”

As a kid, he loved nothing more than kicking a soccer ball. His parents never pushed him into show jumping, but by the time he turned eight, he was already a serious threat in the lower classes.

Since then, the sky’s been the limit, jumping further, and jumping higher.

Ben Asselin, a rising star in the show jumping arena, believes it’s more important to be a good horseman than to be a perfect rider. He spends as much time getting to know his horses on the ground as he does on their backs.

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

P ROFILES Versatility

Top non-pro Canadian at World Cowboy Up Cowgirl Tammy Botsford says her horse Jake flourishes doing a wide variety of jobs IN IT TO WIN IT Competitor profile

By Heather Grovet Galahad, Alta.

D

o you ever feel you’re in an equine rut, doing the same thing with your horse day in and day out? That may happen to many of us, but it hasn’t happened to Tammy Botsford of Chestermere, Alta., and her 2004 Paint gelding, Dez Add To The Assets (Jake).

Botsford purchased Jake as a weanling at the 2004 Alberta Pot O’ Gold sale. Botsford had shown a number of Paint Horses successfully in the past, competing in both open and APHA competitions, so it was inevitable the chestnut overo would initially be prepared for similar events.

“We started with the slow show stuff,” Botsford says. “But it didn’t take long for Jake to get bored with those classes. Jake’s exceptionally smart, and doesn’t like to drill on the same thing constantly. He likes to do new things so I kept adding classes to his repertoire.”

Before long Jake had earned APHA points in western pleasure, hunter under saddle, showmanship, hunt seat equitation, Western horsemanship, trail, barrel racing, pole bending, stake race, western riding pattern, hunter hack, working hunter and goat tying. “And we even have one point in halter!”

Botsford laughs.

In January 2010 Botsford attended the Alberta Horse Breeders and Owners Conference, where she ran into Pete Fraser, who had connections with both HBOC and the Calgary Stampede. Fraser was eager to share information about an upcoming Stampede event called Cowboy Up. “Pete was enthusiastic, and he kept teasing me about coming,” Botsford said. “He said it would be a lot of fun — they might have an elephant there! — but he also reminded me ‘Your show horse would have to go fast, Tammy!’”

Botsford was intrigued. “It sounded interesting, and I thought Jake would enjoy the challenge,” she says. “When I got home I studied every YouTube video I could find on the topic of Cowboy Challenge, noting the different obstacles and how the riders handled them. Then my partner, Darryl copied some of the YouTube obstacles such as bridges and pedestals so we could start practicing.”

Later that spring Botsford and Jake traveled to Aggie Days at the Calgary Stampede Grounds.

“We attended Craig Cameron’s Cowboy Up clinics and then competed in the race on the last day,” Botsford says. “We did okay.

After all, we did all the obstacles and I didn’t fall off!”

Botsford notes Jake’s attitude made him a Cowboy Up natural.

“He’s the type of horse you can point at an obstacle, and he does it,” she says. “He doesn’t argue, he just says, ‘OK, let’s go.’”

In July 2010 Botsford and Jake won the first round at the Calgary Stampede’s Cowboy Up Competition, competing against professionals from all across Canada and the U.S. “Luckily I didn’t know the people I was competing against, so I wasn’t intimated,” Botsford says.

“We even beat a World Champion and one of the season’s leaders.”

The pair’s success qualified them to compete at the World Show, held that year in Kansas, where they placed in the top 15.

Few horses can handle the mental challenge of moving between the slow paced environment of horse shows to the high speed action of Cowboy Up, but Jake constantly rises to the task.

“I don’t think Jake really enjoys slow classes such as Western Pleasure anymore, but he does them for me,” Botsford says. The pair even won a trophy saddle and title “Super Horse” at this year’s 2012 Paint Zone Show.

To put that achievement into perspective, consider that only a few weeks earlier Jake had galloped around the Calgary Stampede arena in Cowboy Up, crossing bridges, pulling scary items and jumping over a set of Texas Longhorns!

“We didn’t do quite as well as I would have liked at the Stampede this year,” Botsford admits.

“But the competition is incredible. Sometimes Canadians take the Stampede for granted, but people come from all across North America to compete.”

Tammy Botsford and Jake won the first round at the Calgary Stampede’s Cowboy Up Competition, competing against professionals from all across Canada and the U.S. Photo: Dragan Brankovich

The pair did well enough to qualify for the World Championship in Texas, and ended up placing fourth there in the non-pro division, making Botsford the highest placed Canadian ever in that division.

“I’m so proud of Jake,” Botsford says. “When we first started doing Cowboy Up, it was tough to go fast. Now I think it’s tough for us to go slow! We have so much fun, and I never have doubts about my horse. When I point Jake at something, I know he’ll do it!”

“We have so much fun, and I never have doubts about my horse. When I point Jake at something, I know he’ll do it!”

— Tammy Botsford

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Jake and Tammy Botsford are good examples where Western and English riding disciplines can not only co-exist and succeed, but the versatility can often be good for horse and rider.

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

P ROFILES Saddlebred

“Fire” in the belly for horse and rider Adrian Neufeld and his horse Fire have raised the profile of the Saddlebred breed in Alberta HORSE HEROES Profiles of exceptional horses

By Robyn Moore Airdrie, Alta.

I

had an interest in Saddlebreds when I was too young to even know it,” says Adrian Neufeld. His father, Neil purchased two or three at a Joe Fulkerth dispersal sale in the early 1950’s.

As a young adult, Adrian was saving up for his pilot’s licence.

His circumstances changed and he met Roger Dye, who showed him Saddlebred horses for sale. “One day out of your life changes everything,” says Adrian, who purchased a broodmare and a foal instead of his pilot’s licence and never looked back.

Skip 40 years into the future and meet Valenfire’s Attractive Image, Adrian’s current co-pilot who goes by the barn name Fire.

He is an 18-year-old chestnut Saddlebred gelding that has been in the Neufeld family from birth and has been passed through three generations: Neil Neufeld, brothers Gerald and Adrian, and Adrian’s daughter, Lindsay.

Fire was the last colt raised by Neil. He owned the dam, Alberta’s Attractive Lady, and the sire is Valen-fire, located in Bowden. Neil gave Fire to his son Gerald. When

“

Gerald did not have a place to keep Fire, he passed him to Adrian.

As a yearling, Fire’s life was almost cut short when he ran into a metal shelter and sustained a lifethreatening cut, almost to his jugular. While some people thought Fire should be euthanized on the spot, he was taken to the vet and made a full recovery. Although there is still a scar, it has not prevented Fire from having a successful career.

During his show career, Fire was shown primarily in the country pleasure and halter classes by Adrian’s daughter, Lindsay. One year he ended up getting the Red Seal, Silver Seal, and Gold Seal in the Merit Awards with the American Saddlebred Horse Association of Alberta.

After his official show career had ended, Fire was used as a lesson horse and many young riding students learned to ride on him and even showed him. He has also been used as a vaulting horse.

“He is an amazing horse,” says Adrian, “It’s kind of hard to describe. He will go all day and at the end of the day will be the same horse that he was at the beginning of the day.”

Adrian and Fire have been involved with the Calgary Stampede’s Extreme Cowboy Competition and with Spruce Meadow’s Battle of the Breeds.

The inaugural Extreme Cowboy Competition saw Adrian being

asked to build the obstacles. Since it wouldn’t be fair for him to compete on his own obstacle course, Adrian and Fire were denied being entered.

The second year, Adrian told the organizers, “Don’t let me build any of the obstacles, I want to compete!”

In what is seen as a Quarter Horse competition, a flashy Saddlebred certainly stood out. One of the competitors from the U.S. approached Adrian, took one look at Fire, and said, “Hmm… this should be interesting.” By the end of the day, that same competitor went back to Adrian and commented on what a fantastic horse Fire was.

Fire has also spent more than 10 years competing with Adrian as part of Team Saddlebred at Spruce Meadow’s Battle of the Breeds. For the last five or six years, Fire has competed in all five events, although Adrian states that driving and trail are their best events. He was also shown at the Battle of the Breeds by daughters Lindsay and Lisa.

Adrian himself has been a part of the Battle of the Breeds through demonstrations at Spruce Meadows since 1984 and has not missed a year. “I’m the only one who had been there from the beginning,” comments Adrian.

“My goal was to reach 25 years, and I did that. Now, I’m at 29 years, so my new goal is 30 years,” he says.

“This whole journey was a family affair,” says Adrian who recognizes

Adrian Neufeld and Fire competing at Spruce Meadows’ Battle of the Breeds.

the involvement of his wife Suzi and daughters Lisa and Lindsay.

Adrian has been battling cancer but refuses to let it dampen his spirits or interfere with his goals.

“During this past year, I’ve had to put everything on hold but I had a goal,” says Adrian, “My goal was to do Spruce Meadows.”

He wants to encourage people going through the same situation to keep a positive attitude and to keep going. “You rise to the occasion and you don’t beat yourself up.”

And, although Team Saddlebred has taken second placed five times in a row, they have never won. But expect to see Adrian and Fire there next year, fighting for the win.

If you have or know of a horse hero, tell us why, send us a photo and each month we’ll feature a horse that stands out from the herd. Robyn Moore is the Manager of Horse Industry Association of Alberta, email rmoore@albertahorseindustry.ca

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AQHA Halter

An Eye for Breeding World Champions

John and Gail Muirhead only keep one broodmare and have produced a World Champion at the AQHA World Show A BREED APART Horse breeder profile

By Robyn Moore Airdrie, Alta.

J

ohn and Gail Muirhead were ecstatic when they heard the news. The weanling stud colt they bred and raised, Its Gameday came away with the Reserve World Champion and World Champion Awards in the Amateur and Open Halter classes at the American Quarter Horse Association World Show in Oklahoma City on November 2-17, 2012.

More than 3,590 entries from the United States, Argentina, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Germany, Italy, Mexico, United Kingdom and the Netherlands competed for 97 world championships at the event. 2,156 Quarter Horses were on the grounds.

The Muirhead’s were hoping for good news since a month prior Its Gameday won Congress Champion Weanling Stallion in Open and Amateur for at the American Quarter Horse Congress held in Ohio.

“To have our home raised colt go against the world’s best was pretty neat,” says Gail, “We were pretty proud of our little guy.”

Its Gameday was born in January 2012 at the Muirhead’s acreage in Bawlf, Alberta.

He is sired by Mr Touchdown Kid and out of JGM Sierras Sequel.

Randy Jacobs and Its Gameday at the 2012 AQHA World Show. Photo: American Quarter Horse Journal

“To us, he looked like a winner,” Gail comments, “so on August 1, we loaded Jake on an equine Hauler owned by Kim Elliott and he arrived in Dover, Ohio at Randy Jacobs on August 5. Randy is a Halter Horse trainer that the Muirhead’s have entrusted with their horses for years.

A two-year-old stallion that the Muirhead’s bred, Booger, was sent to Randy back in 2000 and he won Reserve Amateur World Champion and placed fourth in the Open Halter Stallions.

Its Gameday was sold to Jennifer Jubb of Alabama during the AQHA World Show for $60,000. He has since been sold and is currently owned by Frank Berris of Michigan, who plans to geld him and continue his show career looking ahead to the 2013 World Show.

“We credit ourselves with having a successful breeding program,” says John. “With Its Gameday, we were able to find the right cross between the stud and the mare that we had.”

For 25 years, the Muirhead’s have been breeding registered Quarter Horses. They have had many successes in addition to Its Gameday and Booger. In 2006, their two year old gelding placed sixth in Open and fourth in Amateur at the AQHA World Show. One of their fillies placed top ten in the Yearling Mares at the AQHA World Show in 2008.

The success that they have had is unusual, and remarkable, due to the fact that they only keep one broodmare.

At the many horse events the Muirhead’s have attended, they have developed an eye for qualities that they like and ones that they don’t.

“You have to do your homework,” says Gail.

“For years, we watched the stallions at the World Show because that is where the world champions are. We would go to a show and just watch and see what they produced. If we saw something we liked, we would have the stud’s semen shipped to us and breed our own little mare.”

Unfortunately, Its Gameday’s dam JGM

Sierras Sequel will not have any future offspring. She had to be put down shortly after her colt was weaned due to a bad leg.

The Muirhead’s currently have one horse — a full brother to JGM Sierras Sequel. He had his own successes in the show ring coming away with a fourth place World Champion showing.

“We enjoy having the horses around,” says Gail. “The one we have now is basically a pet.”

While the Muirhead’s are winding down their breeding operation, they are thinking that they might buy another foal if they manage to come across the right one.

Robyn Moore is the Manager of Horse Industry Association of Alberta. If you own or know of an exceptional horse breeding operation, email rmoore@ albertahorseindustry.ca, and we’ll chose one that stands out from the herd to feature each month.

Sponsor of A Breed Apart

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

11

PROFILES HIGH SCHOOL CHA M P

Vanessa Leggett — national high school champion With “Ice” running through her veins, barrel racer sets her sights on a U.S. college rodeo scholarship YOUNG GUNS Up and coming stars

By Cindy Bablitz

S

e ve n te e n - ye a r- o l d Va n essa Leggett is living a story that began generations ago. Recently crowned the world’s best barrel racer for her age group — pitting against some 180 other competitors from Australia, the United States and Canada at the National High School Finals Rodeo in Rock Springs Wyoming — Vanessa’s equestrian roots go back to her great, great grandparents who emigrated with horses from Europe to Canada.

Her greatest ally and dearest horsey inspiration though is a little closer to home.

“My mom used to be a jockey,” says Vanessa, boasting, “She put herself through university doing that. She was an incredible jockey; she used to beat all the men... and everyone used to be a bit jealous of her, I think.”

Vanessa’s family pride in her mother’s horsemanship is as raw as is her devotion to a family she holds close to her heart.

“My grandpa — my mom’s dad — also had horses all his life. He was a bull rider and team roper, well known in rodeo circles. And my mom, well, when she broke her arm and quit jockeying, she started barrel racing. She’s been my coach and mentor my whole life. She’s really amazing. My dad supports me in everything I do too... but he’s more into toys, like motor biking,” Vanessa says with a grin.

Vanessa lives with her mom and dad, Julie and Tim and her brothers Ryan and Robert on the 20 acre farm near Kamloops, B.C., the only home she’s ever known.

“Ryan, he’s older than me, and he’s been my idol my whole life. He’s incredibly smart and he’s always loved me to death.

“I’m a huge family person. I spend a lot of time with my family — they’re really important to me.”  VANESSA LEGGETT

He really took care of me and treated me really well. And my younger brother Robert, well, he’s my little brother: what can I say... we’re really close. I’m a huge family person. I spend a lot of time with my family — they’re really important to me.”

There wasn’t ever a time Vanessa wasn’t on horseback as part of her daily life, and she first competed in barrel racing at the age of four.

“My first pony was Sage, a miniature Welsh Mountain Pony. My next horse was Burnit Brownie — the mare of Ice, the horse that I won the Nationals on in July,” says Vanessa.

In fact, it’s a sweet story: mom, Julie, and daughter, Vanessa watched Ice, Burnit Brownie’s foal, being born, the first time either had witnessed a horse being birthed. Ice is purebred Quarter Horse, sired by Judge Cash.

Speaking with the kind of admiring fondness only a true horsewoman can muster, Vanessa says of Burnit Brownie, “She has some pretty ancient racing blood in her. She’s kind of tiny, but she’s fast. She’s very headstrong and eager: she’s 30 now, but still going strong, always chomping at the bit trying to get ahead of everyone when we take her out. My mom learned how to ride on her, and then I did... and then she gave us Ice, who is pretty amazing too.”

This high School champion plans to finish Grade 12 this year, then hopefully land a rodeo scholarship at a US college next fall.

PHOTO: BERNIE HUDYMA

And, equally true to her equestrian lineage, Vanessa is well onto training Ice’s successor, Shiver, Ice’s half sister.

“I actually just won the BCRA Finals on Shiver in August.”

For now, Vanessa is enjoying her final year of high school in Kamloops, her winter love of snowboarding, (“I’ve already

been up a lot!”) and looking forward to a summer of pro rodeoing, a lot of water skiing and preparing for her first year away from her family farm.

“I want to do college rodeo, so I’m thinking of going to school in Wyoming, or Texas, or maybe Arizona.”

She’ll major in biology... or

sciences of some ilk... or equine sciences. Vanessa’s not the kind of girl to get too caught up in micromanaging the details — a calm demeanor that serves her well in the competition arena.

This young gun was destined for this. Vanessa Leggett’s a true horsewoman, with a great ride ahead of her.

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

P ROFILES Bull fighting

Young bullfighter is carving out his own name

book re view

TIME TO CHILL Book and movie reviews

Not content to rest on his legendary surname, young Bo Byrne was voted by the bull riders to work the 2012 PBR Canadian Finals HOOKED ON BULLS Profiles from the PBR

By Ted Stovin Drayton Valley, Alta.

B

ullfighter Bo Byrne was born into the sport of rodeo.

“I can remember hanging out during the Calgary Stampede back when Dad was fighting bulls for 10 days straight and none of it got old for me,” reminisced the oldest of the three of Ryan and Kelley Byrne’s boys from Prince Albert, Sask.

The CCA is where the crew travelled while dad Ryan steer wrestled and mom Kelley barrel raced. Brother Jesse, now a four time PBR World Finals Bull Fighter also travelled with the family.

“Jesse was probably practicing riding on the trampoline then.

After that he moved up to Dad’s steer wrestling, then he started entering too,” Bo joked.

In Bo’s last year in the boys steer riding at the CCA Finals in 1998, he was in some welcome company that’s done well in the past ten years. The now threetime PBR Canadian Champion Aaron Roy, and his brothers Matt and Nathan, who are also Canadian champions, all competed that same year.

“From there I moved on to the Junior Bull Riding after fighting bulls at a couple high school rodeos. I got ran over and didn’t really like it. I was pretty into riding bulls at that time,” Bo added.

After three appearances at the CCA Finals in the bull riding, and countless other events in the CPRA and PBR while picking away here and there between injuries, Bo found he wasn’t as consistent as he wanted to be as a bull rider.

In one of those final years at a rodeo in Saskatchewan, Bo was one of the first guys to get on, and helped to open the chute gates after that.

“Opening the gates during the bull riding, I kinda got in the action a couple of times.

That kind of got the bullfighting itch back for me again. It was really hard to quit riding bulls.

Any person with a competitive nature doesn’t like to quit anything,” Bo said of his decision.

He then went to his dad and brother Jesse to learn more about the bullfighting profession. By this time Jesse was already working the PBR’s Built Ford Tough Series events and had already worked the PBR World Finals.

Chilcotin Yarns

by Bruce Watt Reviewed by Mark McMillan

In only a few short years, bullfighter Bo Byrne has risen to top of his profession, having being selected to work the 2012 PBR Canadian Finals. Photo: Randy Lewis

“The feeling you get when you save a bull rider from a wreck or a more serious injury is hard to describe but it’s addicting…”

— Bo Byrne

Bo’s first big event as a bullfighter was the Boys Bulls & Bucks event for Glen Lipsett in Regina in 2009.

“I also started working for Ward Macza at his CCA Rodeos that year,” he added. “I didn’t get the CCA Finals my first year but I did get them the year after that in 2010.”

Manor, Sask. was the first PBR event Bo would work. It would prove to be a good direction for him to go, with some guidance from his cousin Scott Byrne, arguably one of the best bullfighters ever from Canada.

Bo’s first CPRA Rodeo was with Scott in Stavely, Alta. for Wayne Vold in 2011.

Now a full time CPRA and PBR Canada bullfighter, Bo spends many of his weekends in Alberta working at rodeos and bull ridings.

This dangerous profession can be compounded by bad weather and poor footing as Bo Byrne distracts the bull away for the downed bull rider. Photo: Randy Lewis

During the week, he works as a welding inspector at a potash mine in Bell Plaine, Sask. and resides in Regina. His home province of Saskatchewan was host to the now biggest event he’s ever worked to date.

“I was surprised,” Bo told on his selection to work the 2012 PBR Canadian Finals. It was a position voted on by the riders qualified for the finals.

“It was really good to get to work with Jesse and Scott. It was

great to have my Dad there judging too and have Tanner riding, definitely better than sitting in the stands watching. The feeling you get when you save a bull rider from a wreck or a more serious injury is hard to describe but it’s addicting and you want that feeling more and more.”

He credits much of his success to Lipsett Cartage Ltd. for getting him down the road. In the future he has goals set to fight bulls at the CFR and Calgary Stampede.

Bruce Watt spent many years in the Big Creek area of B.C.’s Chilcotin and that’s where these stories are generated.

Anyone could read this book and thoroughly enjoy it, but if you know the Chilcotin, and like ranching stories, this is a must read.

Bruce, in a “Sort of a Preface,” explains a little about the book, “some of the yarns you are about to read may be Chilcotinized a very little bit. To Chilcotinize a story or experience, the story teller may wander from the absolute truth. Some of the yarns that were told to me could possibly be not totally true. The teller of the yarn may not have good recall, or may have been attempting to make a better story.

Chilcotinizing is accepted by any true Chilcotin.”

A paragraph on the back cover gives us an idea what what’s inside: “Getting three trucks and two horses stuck in the mud on ‘a good road’ into B.C.’s wild, remote interior was just the start of Bruce Watt’s Chilcotin adventures — and it was his honeymoon, too. The wildlife, landscape and quirky, down-to-earth people captivated Bruce, and despite the hard work and challenging conditions, the Watts put down roots, raising a family alongside herds of cattle and horses.”

Chilcotin Yarns is definitely a good, entertaining read. You can buy it from the Heritage House www. heritagehouse.ca $17.95 for the real book, $9.99 for the ebook.

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

13

P ROFILES retailer

Bob Welsh —

remembering a western retail icon Third generation businessman was instrumental in building Welsh’s Saddlery and Western Wear in Edmonton HOMEWARD BOUND Celebrating lives lived

By Cindy Bablitz Calgary, Alta.

T

hey say that only the good die young, and never was this more true than when the western world lost one of the best and most beloved icons in western Canada’s cowboy and rodeo circles, Bob Welsh, who suffered a massive heart attack in his sleep on October 8, 2012 in his 56 year.

“He died a young man way before his time,” says his brother Gary Welsh, elder by a decade. The pair worked side by side building the renowned third generation Welsh’s Saddlery and Western Wear in Edmonton, Alta. — an enterprise started in 1908 by their great granddad as Welsh’s New & Used.

This story is as heartbreaking as heartwarming. Bobby — also affectionately known as Meathead, (how he signed all his cards and letters to

Gary) and Welshie — was just one of those guys you love to love. He was a healthy, fit athlete who watched what he ate and ran five miles a day.

He was kind, hard working, smart, funny, devoted, loyal and fiercely family-centric. Bob Welsh literally embodied the very best of what distinguishes western folk.

“He wasn’t just my brother,” says sister Sherry Worton.

“He was my best friend. It was such a privilege — I’m so lucky! — that I got to work with my brother every day. He never, ever went away without giving me a hug and telling me he loved me.”

Still, though it’d be easy to wander down a trail of sentimentality at the loss of this friend, brother, business baron and devotee to the western life, those who knew and loved him best will have no part of it.

Bob was a good-humoured man with a wit as sharp as they come, and when lifelong pal, musician and CFCW morning man Danny Hooper was asked to present a eulogy, he promptly declared, “Yep, and I’m gonna do a eulogy exactly the way

I know he’d have done mine: I ain’t holding nothing back.”

Five days later, in a hall with some 650 of Bob’s closest friends and family, Danny had mourners falling off their seats laughing in a celebration of life befitting a man who’d not have cared for the mournful cries of a sombre church service. There was wine, there was a full course sit down meal and tears of laughter outnumbered tears of pain, just as Bob would have wanted.

“I know Bobby was right there with us, laughing as hard as all of us,” Sherry says, grinning.

Bob’s partnership in the Welsh legacy is well known, and began when he was old enough to walk and push a broom.

“Some say, the first generation starts the business, the second generation builds it and the third generation screws it up,” Gary laughs.

“But we built it bigger and we were hands down the most successful generation,” says Sherry.

Family pride runs deep here. But, in 2009, with no successors prepared

to carry on the family business into a fourth generation, Bob, Gary and Sherry, (“our money counter for 23 years,” Gary grins) made the difficult decision to sell Welsh’s, each staying on for a time to support the transition to the new ownership.

Bob loved Welsh’s, and retired at the end of June 2012, three months before his untimely passing. He left behind his wife Kelly, his children Robbie and Katie, Sherry, Gary and another sister Dian Bromley and their mom, 87 year old Phyllis.

“He loved and worked the western business and had a huge passion for

buying, restoring and selling hot rod cars; but he always said if he owned a car business, his passion would have been horses and all things western,” Sherry says.

He was a man who lived as true to his heart as a man can live.

“Ironically, the Thursday before he died, we’d attended a funeral together. When he dropped me off, and I got out of the truck, he gave me a hug and told me he loved me, and I said, ‘I love you too Bobby,’” Sherry remembers.

“It was the last thing I ever said to my brother.”

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HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

P ROFILES Barrel Racer

Tragic horse accident changes life for former champion

Dawn Link deals with her loss by creating an event to honor and remember great barrel horses WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Catching up with heroes of the past

By Dianne Finstad Red Deer, Alta.

D

awn Link has experienced more than her share of real life drama… especially in the last 18 months.

But the passionate horse woman and champion barrel racer has seen miracles follow tragedy in her circle of life.

Her journey began in the midst of horses, as her parents Floyd and Margie Rude ran Solitaire Horse Ranch near La Glace, Alta. It was only natural for young Dawn to grow up riding.

It soon became clear that barrel racing was Link’s passion, and she began focusing her horse work there, inspired by the likes of Pro Rodeo Hall of Famer Elaine Watt and fourtime Canadian champion Rayel Robinson. Renowned working cow horse trainer Les Timmons was another influence on Link’s early career.

The rodeo trail led to the pro leagues, where in 1994, the 23-year-old blonde discovered how good her mare Movin’ Mint, or M&M as she called her, really was.

At the Canadian Finals Rodeo that November, the two blew the field away, and Link won her first Canadian championship.

That accomplishment will always be a favourite.

“Looking back I realize how young I was, and how I took it for granted,” Link admitted. “I didn’t know what I had in her, and how well she ran. She just loved the Coliseum.”

Three years later, Link qualified for her sixth CFR, barely. She was now riding a horse named Court, who suffered a hairline fracture of a back leg just 10 days before Edmonton began! So Link called B.C. barrel racer Sheila Haggart, who let her run her mare Jet. “Sheila told me how to ride her, and I just did what she said,” smiled Link, as she recalls winning her second Canadian buckle.

In all, Link qualified for the Canadian Finals eight times, including most recently in 2002, on a horse named Pleasure. But it was her first dance partner, M&M, that Link felt had the most potential for building a breeding program around. It turned out, though the horse wasn’t great motherly material.

“That’s a crazy story. I could never get her bred, and then when I did, she lost her colt at a month.

She could just never carry one. She was 19 before I got any embryo babies from her, and we ended up with just seven.”

“In my opinion, she was one of the best mares ever in Canada,” revealed Link. “I always regretted not travelling harder with her and trying to make the NFR. At 13, she was done, and I guess I thought I’d

have more years to race her. At the time, I just didn’t have the money to travel that hard.”

Movin’ Mint is actually still alive and well on the home place, and will be 27 this spring.

2006 was the year when Dawn and her long-time boyfriend Brad Link tied the knot. The bull rider raised in Caroline had been to the CFR three times, before putting his bull rope away in 2004 to focus on his work with the oilfield hauling company Aveda, in the Grande Prairie region.

October 5, 2011 is a day Link looks back on as a life-changing day. She had a high-priced mare Jesse, her horse Checkers, and three promising fillies from M&M in a pen on the farm at La Glace.

“It was a foggy morning,” recalled Link. “Somehow they got out. The whole thing was crazy. It was a big heavy pipe gate, the dog didn’t bark, I don’t know how to explain it.”

“I got a call from a friend who’d heard some horses had been hit by a semi at La Glace, and thought of me. When I went outside, I could see the emergency lights. I saw the gate open, and then I knew.”

By the time the semi driver saw the horses, it was too late to stop, and all five were lost that day. It’s still a painful memory, and Link was devastated in so many ways.

“It drove me nearly insane trying to figure out what happened. There are no words to explain how I felt about losing all those horses. And my whole breeding program with M&M was gone.”

It didn’t take long for word to spread about the Link’s loss. And the overwhelming response was a comfort.

“I was entered in a barrel race, and I made myself go to Thorsby the next day.”

“You know the equine world, and how supportive everyone is.

Without that, I don’t know what I would’ve done. I didn’t do great, but I was there. I had to make myself go.”

Link also credits friend and equine body worker Tracy Sharpe with helping her work through the grief.

“As I was going through the process, I got thinking about horses lost.

I always felt there was no place to remember great barrel horses. So it clicked with me that something had to be done.”

With the assistance of some friends and fellow barrel racers, the idea of the Honour Spirit Horse barrel race emerged. The 4D event was set for the Diamond N Ranch at Stettler.

“We started planning in January. It’s crazy what Facebook can do.

We put it out that that people could sponsor something on behalf of a horse they’d had. It’s amazing how people came through.”

In conjunction with the June barrel racing event, a coffee table book project honouring the memory of barrel horses was launched. It too, attracted great support.

“The girls put their own stories

Dawn Link recently moved to Stephenville, Texas but that won’t stop her from racing, shown here at Grande Prairie in 2011.

photo: Mike Copeman

and pictures in. We’ve got horses ranging from Carol Barr’s Mr. T, to Jill Besplug’s Chick, to ponies that changed people’s lives. It turned out beautiful, with some 50 stories. It’s pretty cool.” (The book is still available and can be sourced through the Honour Spirit Horse Facebook page).

When it came to race day itself in mid-June, close to 500 barrel racers showed up, including top names from both sides of the border.

“It was so good for the younger girls to be able to see the very best,” commented Link.

Prizes were abundant throughout the divisions, since so many donated in memory of a horse they’d known. In the end, the top winner of the buckle and saddle, with the overall fastest time, was Texan Lindsay Ewing.

“It was an amazing day, an emotional one, but it was good. In some way, there was closure for me, with the loss of my horses.”

In the meantime, a whole other sub-plot was developing in the tale of the Link family.

“We’d been trying to get pregnant, and had even tried in-vitro.

We were told I had no chance of having a baby. We had talked about adoption, but I think because I lost those horses, we’d just given up.”

Dawn Rude Link, shown here competing at the Honor Spirit Horse Barrel Race, created the event to remember great barrel horses. photo: nickyraephotography.ca

Link admits the stress of planning her big barrel racing event left her tired, but a month later she learned there was another surprising, and amazing, reason for her lack of energy. Despite all odds, she was six months pregnant! On October 21, little Kaden Link was born, two weeks early, six pounds six ounces, and healthy… as a horse!

Then to add in one more plot twist, Brad Link found out the day after the big barrel race, his job was being transferred to Texas. So in late November the family packed

up, took three horses, and headed for a new home in Hico, close to the “cowboy capital” of Stephenville.

Despite her new location, Link is hoping the Honour Spirit Horse event will go again this year, with organizing help from friends like Dawn Gertner and Hallie Willis.

“It was definitely a life changing 41st year for me,” said Link, shaking her head.

But she’s looking forward to a fresh start, and in between diaper changes, she’ll be working on her horses Special Mint Maker, and the stud she has high hopes for, Master Payment.

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

15

PROFILES COACHING

Wendy Nelson earns Elite Coach Certification The reining trainer is the first in Alberta to become a certified High Performance Coach WOMEN OF THE WEST Personal profile

By Amie Peck Cochrane, Alta.

W

endy Nelson is a familiar, smiling face at reining competitions across North America. The Cochrane, Alta. based trainer has been involved with the sport for over two decades, both competing and coaching to high levels of success.

Recently Nelson became the first person in Alberta to earn a High Performance Reining Coach certification from Equine Canada — adding to her already impressive resume.

Nelson was raised on a cattle ranch in northern Alberta, riding horses in the pasture by the time she was 5 years old.

“My love of horses won me over quickly,” she laughs. After finishing high school, Nelson went on to attend Olds College in the equine program.

“I took English riding my first year for a well-rounded education, as I had mostly done gymkhanas and rodeo growing up,” reflects Nelson. “The second year was Western and we started learning some reining manoeuvres and patterns. I found out that once you start reining, it’s hard to go back!”

After graduation, Nelson headed off to Germany to work with a well-respected reining trainer and hone her skills.

Eventually she decided to open up her own training business in Canada, first settling in Ontario, where she was introduced to the Equine Canada coaching levels.

“For me it was it was the support that came with the Equine Canada program that was so appealing,” says Nelson. “There were also a lot of practical education elements that become a real asset to a training business.

Perfecting your coaching and riding skills comes from experience — working with great trainers and riding and starting lots of horses. However, the coaching programs provide educational opportunities that you can’t nec-

essarily learn from time in the barn — like ethics and proper policies and procedures.”

Nelson was already an Equine Canada Level Two Reining Coach, and a NRHA judge. When the idea of a pilot project for a new High Performance Reining Coach came up, she leapt at the chance to earn the certification.

The new program concentrates heavily on training and coaching elite level competition riders and horses. Requirements for applying include $10,000 in Open competition earnings, a NRHA judge’s card, and coaching a student to a Champion or Reserve Champion placing at the provincial level.

The certification process evaluates everything involved in the process of training horses and riders to win in the show pen.

With years of experience under her belt, Nelson was awarded the certification and hopes to lead the way for other reining trainers in Alberta.

“I believe that it is important for professionals to earn their coaching levels for several reasons,” says Nelson. “One is that Equine Canada will support and stand behind their coaches.

There are educational opportunities offered that don’t exist in the private sector, and you are able to connect and network with other experienced coaches and trainers. We should utilize these advanced certification programs to have consistent policies, safety standards, and guidelines for the coaches that influence and shape the sport of reining.”

Nelson continues to actively train and teach students at her facility while working to promote and improve reining as a discipline.

“With my new credentials I have achieved one of my biggest goals,” she says. “I am so happy to be able to share my knowledge and experience with younger riders — I love the smile on my student’s faces when they come out of the show pen after a really great ride. Especially if one of my students beats me — that’s when I know I’m doing a really good job!”

“Perfecting your coaching and riding skills comes from experience — working with great trainers and riding and starting lots of horses.”  WENDY NELSON

Equine Canada High Performance Coach Wendy Nelson discusses a ride with one of her students.

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HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

INSPIRATIONS Inspired by People and Horses ARTISAN

“Legacy” was created by Michael as a tribute to the Calgary Stampede’s 100 Anniversary. It was purchased by a Stampede director and donated back to the iconic organization. It is slated to go on display in their new agricultural building.

Hell Bent

Mechanical Bull

Former ski bum welds his two passions Two-Jack Lake

Michael Perks married into western family and proves his metal

By Cindy Bablitz Calgary, Alta.

N

Sculptor Michael Perks takes a breather from working on one of his unique pieces of metal art.

ine years is a long time to sustain a long distance relationship, and one day, Michael Perks decided he just couldn’t do it anymore. Meanwhile, he’d dabbled in art school, in snowmaking, in hospitality management, and world class canoeing, competing and finally realized he needed to make a wholesale change to get his life really on track.

So he married the girl.

Michael is now self-employed, celebrating his love for western art through the thriving Little Monkey Metal Works from his home near Okotoks, Alta.

“You’re asking me what brought me to this point? I lucked out tenfold when I finally had the good sense to realize I needed to marry this awesome girlfriend, Claire Thompson. She gave me the space and confidence to really make a go of my metal art... and she pretty much drives everything now.

“Thinking about it — my love for western art — and how I’ve travelled to this realm... it has all come from my wife and her family. They’re massively into the western world, with their heritage as one of the settling families in western Canada. I mean, you wake up on this land, and it’s in you.”

He adds, grinning, “And I have the uber Annie Oakley of mother-in-laws... and, you know, her name is Anne, so there’s a poetry in all this.”

This is far from a romantic fairy tale.

Little Monkey Metal Works is so clearly a collaboration of two minds, two hearts, four hands coming together in a communion of opportunity meeting talent, skill set meeting intention and drive.

The art Claire and Michael co-create is beautiful, yes, and the clever way they’ve branded their unique partnership almost distracts you from the powerfully successful business model they’re designing together, every step of the way. The way a really great homegrown business should.

Fresh out of high school, Michael knew his leanings were toward art, but art school proved a futile effort at trying to fit someone else’s definition of what constituted art... so he did what any self respecting artist slash athlete does in Alberta: he went skiing.

And then he did what any self respecting skier does: he got a job on the hill.

And then his employers did what any self respecting ski hill managers do: they lured a good employee with promises of apprenticeship training to keep him there.

So Michael Perks, artist slash athlete added slash millwright, “Jack of all, Jack of nothing... the practical engineer,” Michael grins impishly.

And if you’re wondering how millwright translates back around to artist, consider that millwrights fabricate metal with torches and... voila: Little Metal Monkey Works. Still, don’t expect to tie this artist down: “With the weight and toll metal working takes on my back, I should have been a kitten farmer.”

Perhaps. For now, Michael and Claire Perks are enjoying the Little Monkey ride, showcasing unexpected creations at the Calgary Stampede’s Western Art Showcase for the last three years and providing a hit of western art... and sometimes artistic humour... to the recycle bins along Ninth Avenue in Inglewood.

“It’s taken me a while to get to the point of realizing that when people are describing something they want me to create, I still have to create art that is through the eyes of Michael Perks... as weird as it is to speak of myself in third person. I have to be able to play with my art, to be a bit comical. If I’m not having fun, the creating takes forever.”

Michael is a western artist, but won’t be hemmed in by anyone’s perception of what that means. The first piece of art he sold at the Western Art Showcase was a metal sculpture of a skeletal horse, carrying a skeletal rider, with a noose around the rider’s neck. It was called Friends Till The End. MORE ON MICHAEL

To view more of Michael’s work, and to find where else his creations are on display in the community and in galleries – or to commission a project of your own – surf to either www.littlemonkeymetal.com or www.michaelperks.com or phone 403-995-3913.

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

17

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

I NSPIRATIONS Uniqu e talents

Joan Herbert — artist and sculptor Doesn’t matter if it’s a brush or a welder in the hand of this Saskatchewan woman Going in style Finer things in life

By Cindy Bablitz Calgary, Alta.

I

’ve always drawn and painted... like, forever.”

Western artist Joan Herbert, who grew up near the Saskatchewan farm where she still lives, celebrating the serene beauty of the prairie landscape with her husband, children and grandchildren, echoes the refrain of so many artists... and yet, as it is always so, this artist’s canvas remains uniquely her own expression unlike any other.

In fact, so much so, Joan’s medium has evolved from textile canvases... to metal.

“You think, when you’re a painter, that you’ll paint on traditional canvas, or paper... but really, you can paint on any surface, with the right preparation,” Joan says, after a decade of playing with functional artistry, creating painted and unpainted metal art that’s meant to be handled and used more than admired from afar.

Often, it’s necessity that’s the mother of invention... and sometimes, one man’s trash is another woman’s treasure. Out of the most staid clichés can arise the most beautiful creations.

Joan watched the scrap heap of her husband Ray’s metal fabricating business for years when one day, inspiration struck, and she began pondering

“

what artistic potential lay waiting in the metal leavings. At first, she saw alternative canvases, but once she got her hands on a plasma cutter, the potential to create living artistry took on a life of its own.

Since then, Joan has made a career of creating function out of form. Her canvases are now benches, her brush strokes, lighting fixtures, her paint, the flames leaping from the scenic carved metal fire pits she fabricates as one of her most popular sellers.

“Sometimes my artistry is spurred on by customer requests; people who see my work get inspired themselves and wonder if I can create a custom design to suit a project they’re contemplating.”

Joan is particularly motivated by these kinds of opportunities, as she translates the notion of form meeting function even in the collaborative spirit of art creation: imaginations, minds, materials and musings working together.

In 2003, Joan was commissioned by the town of Lashburn, Sask. to create a metal sculpture some 17 feet long and 15 feet high to commemorate the town’s centennial anniversary. The project was a labour of love and poignant meaning, as Joan’s grandparents were one of the founding settlers of the area.

This commission inspired the folks of the town of Waseca to approach Joan to likewise create a commemorative metal sculpture — this one some 23 feet long and 14 feet high — for their centennial in 2011.

Joan Herbert was born and raised on a Saskatchewan ranch and still enjoys trail riding on her favorite horse Scribbles.

One of Joan’s oil painting of a 4-horse hitch commemorated local teams seeding 12 acres for the food grains bank at Wainwright, Alta.

F Running Buffalo is made of all recycled metal and is mounted with a leather background.

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The challenge of creating metal art intended to depict the pioneering spirit which colours the settling of the Canadian prairies and which will stand the test of time itself required nothing less than a collaboration of creative and engineering cooperation.

“It’s always a bit of a challenge to figure out how to create something artistic that big, that is structurally sound — that’s where Ray is so vital to my work: he’s my engineer,” Joan says.

There’s a quiet peacefulness in Joan that translates into her work, and it’s clear, in all of it, that her prairie home is the soft place she’s always turned to for inspiration and grounding.

“I really have a love for horses — that has never left me — and it’s been the basis of all my art,” says Joan.

Then, after a moment’s hesitation, she adds, “Well, horses, or the dogs... and the cattle... we’ve always had cattle around, and working with them, with the horses... all of this gives me lots of ideas. It’s always been this way. As a little girl on the farm, I can remember taking my crayons and drawing on the chimney or the walls and getting into trouble for that.

Now, when I see my grandchildren doing the same thing, I can smile in remembranc ...”

To see more of Joan Herbert’s artwork, and to inspire your own imagination for a collaborative piece of your own commissioned one-of-a-kind functional western art, surf to www.artbyjoanherbert. com or phone 306-823-4565.

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

I NSPIRATIONS Book release

Mantracking —

the ultimate guide to tracking man or beast Alberta author offers tracking tips to help outdoorsmen keep safe TIME TO CHILL Book and movie reviews

By Heather Grovet Galahad, Alta.

I

magine you’re riding your horse down a mountain path when suddenly you look down and see an enormous paw print nearby. As the hairs rise on the back of your neck, you have a few frantic questions. “Is that a bear track? A cougar? When was it here? And where is it going?”

High River author Terry Grant (with assistance of free lance writer Nadine Robinson) can help you answer these questions with his just-released book Mantracking – The Ultimate Guide to Tracking Man or Beast.

Grant brings a wealth of information on tracking from his sixyear stint on the hit show “Mantracker.” But while many reality shows are far from reality, Grant’s tracking abilities are not. He spent over 25 years on Alberta ranches where he honed his observation skills while working as a cowboy, guide, hunter, outfitter, and search and rescue employee.

“I guess it all started with tracking cows,” Grant explains. “When

Mantracking – The Ultimate Guide to Tracking Man or Beast is full of tips for rider, hikers, search and rescue, and anybody else spending time in the back country.

you’re checking for cattle in hilly country, you pay attention to tracks so you don’t waste time searching in areas where there isn’t any livestock.”

Although Grant and the TV industry parted ways two years ago, his involvement in tracking has not waned. Grant offers courses for those interested in the art of tracking, and also travels across the country public speaking on the topic.

“One of the amazing things about Mantracker is the wide audience it appeals to,” Grant says. “I talk to business corporations, dentists, students and horsemen. After the talks someone always says ‘You need to write a book about this stuff.’ So I finally did.”

Grant’s book is aimed at two groups of readers; hunters and guides who track animals, and then police, military, and search and rescue workers that track people.

“I also believe anyone who travels in the backcountry needs basic tracking skills,” Grant says.

“Horse riders tend to go further into the backcountry than most hikers, which means they need to use their senses and be aware of everything around them for safety sake. Something as simple as a cow moose and her calf ahead can cause a real horse wreck; if the rider had noticed the nearby tracks they might have saved themselves a lot of problems.”

Grant shares numerous tracking secrets in his book, and explains one with a chuckle. “When I was on Mantracker it wasn’t uncommon for people to walk backwards to try and throw me off,” he says.

“But if you pay attention you’ll see there’s a lot more to tracks than the direction their toes point. People push differently with their feet when they walk backwards, and dirt is pulled in the wrong direction.”

Mantracking: The Ultimate Guide to Tracking Man or Beast is available for $21.95 through any Canadian Boy Scout Shop (a portion of the book’s proceeds go to the Boy Scouts) or online at www.mantracking.ca.

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

I NSPIRATIONS Rhymes f rom th e r a n g e

B o ok Review

In the Herd

by Jayne M.Silberman

A Baxter of Blacks

By Doris Daley Turner Valley, Alta.

Sheep come in flocks, whales come in pods, Geese come in gaggles, police come in squads.

There are hovers of trout, bouquets of pheasants Bands of gypsies and rabbles of peasants.

A rum of Morgans, a dapple of greys An acorn of chestnuts, a Hudson of bays.

A bray of Jennies, a stubborn of Jacks A sunburn of whites, a Baxter of blacks.

We have prides for a lion, packs for a rat Lamentations of swans — what’s up with that?

Hosts of angels, dens of thieves…

What else has the language got up her sleeves?

A shag of Shetland ponies A rack of skin-and-bonies A bourbon of Tennessee walkers An amazement of Mr. Ed talkers A prance of Lipizzaners A Preakness of also-ranners.

A gait of Paso Finos A Trigger of palominos!

Collective nouns — how droll, how poetic!

But where are the nouns with a cowboy aesthetic?

Mr. Webster, I fear, lacked in western perspectives So I offer my word list of cowboy collectives.

A gavel of auctioneers A marble of fattened steers A bodacious of bucking brahamas A shank of Tony Lamas A clutch of John Deere tractors A clint of western actors A chip of coffee shop mugs An Ian of Navajo rugs An annoyance of all-know-its An Elko of cowboy poets A King of roping resources And now… for the horses:

Friends, add these words to your vocab And dazzle your friends with the gift of the gab But caution to you collective noun go-getters: Best to quit before you get to manure-spreaders.

Doris Daley makes her living as a western poet, performing at conventions and festivals throughout North America. She resides in Turner Valley, Alberta. www.dorisdaley.com

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Reviewed by Carol M. Upton The making of In the Herd has been a privilege almost beyond what words can express. The horses and ponies have taught me life lessons and deepened my awareness of the larger universe that we share. ~ Jayne M. Silberman

J

ayne Silberman’s work is a testament to her special passion for animals, which shines through in this photographic journey to view the fabled wild ponies and horses of Chincoteague and Assateague.

Although there is some text at the beginning of the book detailing the history of the horses from early 1600 to present day, it is the photos that spark the deeper story, telling us so much about these creatures that is indeed “…beyond words.”

Silberman’s journey was one of infinite patience, made over a two-year period of visits to these herds, following them to the familiar tourist places as well as to spots known to them alone.

Silberman displayed a strong commitment to understanding these beings in their element, and they paid her back in kind, allowing her to remain close and capture such rare images.

For these horses, social relationships within the herd and

with other species on the island are the reason they have thrived in a harsh environment for hundreds of years. This book will advance the reader’s understanding of herd behaviour — mating, foaling, resting, foraging — generally free of human interference.

The only exception is the Annual Chincoteague Pony Swim and Auction. This is a quartermile swim completed at slack tide to corrals where the herd members are given vaccinations and health checks. Some are auctioned off, providing them with good homes and limiting their numbers on the island.

In the Herd is an excellent gift, but it is also a stunning celebration of wild horse soul that any horse-lover will want to pick up time and again throughout the year.

In the Herd — (A Photographic Journey with the Chincoteague Ponies and Assateague Horses)

by Jayne M. Silberman is available through Andover Press.

Hard Cover, 2012, $50.00 ISBN: 9-781-938-18303-4 — Available on Amazon.

Jayne M. Silberman is a fine art and equestrian photographer who lives in New York City. Her photography is known nationally and has been selected for juried exhibitions and appeared in equine publications.

Visit Jayne at: http://www. intheherd.com/.

Visit us online for more great features and local horse events.

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HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

Horse BREEDERS and Owners conference

Special Sect ion

North America’s premiere equine conference animal insight

Thinking the way animals do Dr. Temple Grandin helps explain why your horse might act the way he does

By Heather Grovet Galahad, Alta.

H

ave you ever wondered how your horse thinks? Dr. Temple Grandin from the Colorado State University shares her insights on this topic at the 2013 Alberta Horse Breeders and Owners Conference, January 11-13, Red Deer, Alta. when she presents “Thinking the way animals do.”

Grandin is a best-selling author, and in 2010, Time Magazine named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world.

Currently she lectures and teaches courses on livestock behaviour, facility design and animal welfare.

These major achievements did not come easily for Grandin. At one time the woman who now speaks to thousands couldn’t speak at all.

Temple Grandin was born in 1947, and as a young child exhibited the classic signs of what we now call autism. At that time the problem had no name and was just beginning to receive formal study.

Grandin’s family determined to not put the child in an institution, but instead provided her with specialized assistance, including speech therapy.

Grandin’s childhood and teen years remained a struggle even with extra assistance. Although very intelligent, she had difficulty relating to her peers, and suffered from constant anxiety and physical discomfort.

Then one summer Grandin was sent to a relative’s home in the country, and

there spent countless hours watching cattle being handled through squeezes and chutes as they were routinely treated and doctored.

That summer was to change Grandin’s life. She was fascinated by cattle and how they responded to their handling. “It was as though I could almost see through the cattle’s eyes,” she later explains. “Autistic people such as me think in pictures instead of words, and I have a theory that animals think in a similar way.”

Grandin earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology in 1970, a master’s degree in animal science in 1975 and a doctoral degree in animal science in 1989. Grandin then used these degrees to help change the face of animal welfare in North America.

“I think using animals for food is an ethical thing to do,” Grandin writes. “But we’ve got to do it right. We’ve got to give the animals a decent life, and we’ve got to give them a painless death. We owe the animal respect.”

Grandin described two things that cause animals to feel distress — pain and fear. To limit these two things, Grandin designed livestock handling facilities with curved chutes which would allow stock to move forward with less stress.

She also developed an objective scoring system to assess how cattle and pigs were handled at meat plants. It is estimated that over half of North America’s meat plants operate thanks to Grandin’s studies and facilities.

But Grandin is involved in more than just humane slaughter. She also studies and makes recommendations of care for livestock such as sheep, pigs, cattle and horses, plus exotic animals such as Pronghorn antelope and bison.

“Highly flighty animals such as Pronghorn are extremely difficult to work with since they have such an explosive flight reaction,” Grandin writes. “In captivity they can easily injure themselves by crashing

“One of the main points I want to make at the conference is how your horse makes associations with certain sights and sounds” — temple grandin

into fencing when startled.” In spite of this, Grandin has found ways to assist owners as they handle these animals, even to the point of training them to stand quietly for veterinary procedures such as blood draws.

So how does this relate to your horse?

“One of the main points I want to make at the conference is how your horse makes associations with certain sights and sounds,” Grandin says. “I recently saw a perfect example of this at a mustang clinic.

It was an example of the good guys not looking so good to the horses. You see, the mustangs were much more relaxed with the inmates than they were with the guards, and this annoyed some of the guards. But why were the mustangs like that?

“The mustangs were nervous of the guards because they were dressed in typical Western clothing with cowboy hats, and the mustangs associated that type of clothing with their past stressful procedures.

The inmates weren’t dressed Western, so the horses had much less fear of them.”

“This sort of thing can happen to our personal horses, too,” Grandin continues. “If your horse’s first experience in the trailer is negative — for example, if he falls down in the trailer — he may be scared of all trailers all his life. It’s important we make these first experiences positive to avoid such things happening. Otherwise the next person who buys this horse will have problems, but he’ll never know what caused them.”

Footnote: Some of the information in this article is courtesy of Dr. Grandin’s website www.grandin.com.

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HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

Horse BREEDERS and OWNERS conference

Special Section

Horse trading

Wanna buy or sell a horse?

Conference offers suggestions on today’s changing horse market

Well-known horse woman Shauna Cook will join Ron Anderson, John Scott, and Frank Merrill on an all-star panel of horse experts.

photo: Robert Bray

By Heather Grovet

aspects of the current horse industry have changed, and horsemen need to evolve with the market, or risk losing opportunities.

“Buyers now use technology to study horses from all around the world,” Cook says. “They use Facebook, YouTube, social networking and global websites to study prices, pedigrees and show records. It’s essential sell-

Galahad, Alta.

H

“

ave you ever wondered why your neighbour recently sold several horses, and you haven’t had a single phone call on the ones you have advertised?” Ron Anderson, speaker at the 2013 Alberta Horse Breeders and Owners Conference asks. “Maybe you’re missing the right market for your horse. The horse industry can be confusing, which is why we’re hosting a discussion called ‘Understanding Today’s Horse Market’ at this year’s conference.”

“ Buyers use Facebook, YouTube, social networking and global websites to study prices, pedigrees and show records.

It’s essential sellers use these things, too, and investigate what Google has to say about their horse.”

— Shauna Cook

Anderson is one of four experienced horsepeople who will lead this discussion. The others are Shauna Cook, John Scott and Frank Merrill.

This group has experience in almost every aspect of the horse industry. They’ve trained and competed in racing, cutting, reining, roping, jumping, working cowhorse, dressage and halter, they’ve bought and sold horses from all across North America and imported others from Europe, they’ve announced horse events, wrangled, and coordinated Hollywood stunts.

This broad spectrum of experiences helps them look at the big picture of today’s horse market.

“Recently I had a friend ask me to help him buy a horse,” Anderson says. “He told me he wanted a nice mare to ride, which wasn’t very specific, so I started asking him questions. What did he want to do with the horse? And how much did he want to pay? My friend thought a minute and then said ‘I’d like to try team penning, but I really don’t want to compete in the sport. And I’d also like to use the horse for trail riding.

Hopefully I can buy a horse like that for a reasonable price.’”

“That was a better answer, but still not ideal,” Anderson continues. “He had to decide which was more important; team penning or trail riding. You see, horses get good at team penning when someone spends a lot of time doing that discipline with them.

Those horses probably didn’t get many trail riding hours. The animals that can do both well are probably older horses, or else priced in a range too high for my friend. As you can see, there are a lot of questions people need to ask themselves anytime they buy, sell or raise a horse. I hope our discussion will help them with that.”

Shauna Cook adds that many

ers use these things, too, and investigate what Google has to say about their horse. If Google shows your horse doing poorly at a specific competition, you need to know that, and be prepared to explain what happened that day, otherwise you’re going to lose a sale. These things are just a small part of what we hope to talk about in ‘Understanding the horse market.’”

Horse expert and announcer Ron Anderson will offer his insights into buying and selling horses in an evolving multi-media world. photo: Robyn Moore

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

Horse BREEDERS and OWNERS conference

23

Special Sect ion

Liberty work

Working free

Australian Dan James describes the benefits of liberty work for horses in all walks of life

By Heather Grovet Galahad, Alta.

A

ustralian Dan James will speak at the 2013 Alberta Horse Breeders and Owners Conference on a topic that might sound unique at first — working with your horse at liberty.

You’re probably aware that Hollywood horses operate using liberty work, but can those skills benefit your everyday, ordinary mount? Dan is eager to explain how they can.

“Liberty work is an actual discipline, just like reining or dressage,” James says. “It has structure and goals, and at the highest level is used in the film and movie industry. But every single person could benefit from liberty work with their horse. Animals that have gone through our program become well rounded, soft and easy to handle.”

One of James’ biggest clients is Taylor Made Agencies, a fullservice Thoroughbred business located in Kentucky. Taylor Made has sold over $1 billion worth of horses, and with James’ assistance, prepares 400 yearlings for major sales each year.

“Recently Taylor Made had a colt sent to them by a well established, reputable farm,” James says. “This colt was very valuable — his sire’s stud fee was $85,000 alone!

“But they were considering putting the colt down because he was so difficult. The farm had two concerns. First, they didn’t want anyone to be hurt by the colt; they couldn’t imagine putting anyone on him. Secondly, they were worried about their farm’s reputation.

“We put a solid month of work on this colt, and I’ll admit he was tough to handle. We spent four or five times as long on him as we would have on an average youngster. But by the end of the month he had progressed enough to go safely to the sale, and we’re hopeful he’ll have a successful career.”

James gives another example of the benefits of liberty work.

“Imagine you buy a new breeding stallion,” he says. “Your goal will be to hand breed him to your personal mares, and any outside mares that visit your facilities.

“You’ll need to keep yourself safe, as well as the mares, and obviously you don’t want your stallion injured either. With proper liberty training your stallion can become so easy to manage you can control him completely with hand cues. Isn’t that better than having him drag you around on the end of his chain?”

James feels all aspects of colt starting can also benefit from the concepts of liberty training.

“We want to teach our horses solid cues from the ground first,” James says. “Then we repeat the same cues and exercises with the horse when he’s under saddle.

Proper liberty work can make everything easier whether you’re teaching a race horse to accept the starting gate, or your cowhorse to get into the trailer.”

World-renowned liberty horse trainer and speaker will engage the audience at 2013 Horse Breeders and Owners Conference in Red Deer, Alberta, January 11-13.

If you look long enough at this photo, you will realize how remarkable it is and the training accomplished by liberty horse trainer Dan James.

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HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

Horse BREEDERS and OWNERS conference

Special Sect ion

Entertainer

Cowboy singer headlines at horse conference Matt Robertson writes and sings about working cowboys because he is one himself

By Heather Grovet Galahad, Alta.

T

As a working cowboy, Matt Robertson knows what he writes and sings about. photo: Sarah Jordon

he Saturday evening entert a i n m e n t at t h e 2 0 1 3 Alberta Horse Breeders and Owners Conference will feature Matt Robertson, an Albertan cowboy singer and songwriter who actually knows what it’s like to throw a leg over the back of a horse.

Robertson was born and raised in Wyoming, growing up on a ranch surrounded by cattle and horses. As a teenager he had two interests — music and rodeo.

“I always wanted to be a cowboy,” Robertson says. “When I graduated from high school I took welding, but welding wasn’t my passion.

Bronc riding was.”

But the young cowboy had another side to him, one that only family and a few friends knew about. “I began playing the guitar when I was 15,” Robertson says.

“My dad was musical so he was able to get me started, but I never took any formal lessons. Later a few college friends gave me some tips, but otherwise I just messed around at home with my music. I was always a bit creative and liked to write

stories, so creating my own songs seemed to come naturally.”

Robertson, who describes himself as shy, didn’t find performing his music quite as natural as creating it. “If people worked really hard, they could occasionally get me to perform something in their living room, and I played music at church a time or two,” he continues. “But it was really tough for me to find the confidence to play in front of a group. And it’s hard to be entertaining when you’re scared!”

Robertson’s first experience on an actual stage was at the Ivan Daines’ Country Music Festival in 2007. “Part of me loved doing it,” Robertson says. “And the other part was terrified.” The turning point came when Robertson took the time to decide why he was actually drawn to performing, and what he was going to do with these feelings.

“I had to decide if I was going on the stage for myself, or for the people watching,” he says. “When I was worried about me, me, me, then the awkwardness came out. But once I realized I was there to entertain people, and began to focus on them instead of myself, things changed. I finally realized that if I actually fell

down and broke my neck, people would at least laugh! That helped me begin to let go of my fears.”

Robertson describes his music as cowboy, or Western type music.

Many of his songs are serious, and feature horses, ranching and cowboys. “I write songs to inspire people,” Robertson says thoughtfully.

“I want horse people and cowboys to appreciate what they have. It’s a privilege to ride a good horse. That animal is letting you be there on his back, and he’s probably forgiving you for some of the mistakes you make when riding him. Many of my songs talk about these things; I have one about how I feel riding my best horse, and another about being a cowboy’s wife.”

Robertson, who lives near Tomahawk, Alta., with his wife, Kelli, has his finger in several other cowboy disciplines. He owns a small herd of cattle, plus shoes horses, and starts colts. “Colt starting is something I do well,” he says. “I try to treat each horse as an individual, and give him the time he needs. That means some of them are here a while, but when they go I hope they’re the type of horse I’d like to own permanently.”

Probl em solver

Preserving and perpetuating the future of the equine industry Oklahoma native Frank Merrill is well-known in the Quarter Horse, racing, cutting, roping, and cowhorse disciplines

F

rank Mer rill has been involved in the horse industry for over 50 years. Along with his wife, Robin, the Merrill’s operated a commercial breeding farm, Windward Stud Ltd., in Purcell, Oklahoma for 40 years until selling the business to the Cowan family of Havre, Montana in October of 2006.

Frank and Robin stayed on to serve as the CEO’s for Cowan Select Horses LLC at Windward Stud until the fall of 2012 when they moved to Poolville, Texas in order to pursue their own interests.

Frank has just recently assumed the position of manager of Bob Moore Farms Group, LLC in Norman, Oklahoma. He is responsible for management and over site of Bob Moore Farms, LLC, NFL, LLC, Broad Acres Polo Club, LLC, H9,LLC, and the Moore Family’s 25 per cent interest in Heritage Place Inc., the Southwest’s most prestigious equine sales facility located in Oklahoma City.

The late Bob Moore was one of the leading breeders in Quarter Horse racing history before his death in 2004. The Moore Family has hired Frank to bring their interests in quarter racing back to the pinnacle it once enjoyed. Merrill will continue to reside in Texas and commute to Oklahoma on a weekly basis.

During Frank Merrill’s tenure in the horse business he has owned, managed, or syndicated over 100 stallions and bred and cared for over 25,000 mares. He has acted as sales agent and sale prepped thousands of horses for clients all over the world, earning a reputation for honesty and integrity. Horses from the famous M5 brand have accumulated many championships and titles in cutting, racing, halter, cowhorse, reining, and roping. Two horses owned and shown by Merrill, Miss Jim 45 and Royal Santana have been inducted in AQHA’s Hall of Fame.

Frank competes as a Non-Pro in NCHA cutting events and has life time earnings of over $440,000.

This past year, Frank was inducted into Oklahoma’s Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and will be inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame this coming March at the annual AQHA Convention in Houston, Texas.

As well as his duties for the Bob Moore Family, Merrill operates M5 Performance Bloodstock, an equine consulting and appraisal business and serves as manager for the Dogwood Foundation, a private family foundation.

Frank and Robin have three children — Mckenzie who lives in Dal-

las; Megan Miller married to famed cutting horse trainer Matt Miller and lives in Poolville, Texas; and son Tyler and his wife, country and western singer, Katy Keenie Merrill who also live in Poolville.

“This past year, Frank was inducted into Oklahoma’s Quarter Horse Hall of Fame and will be inducted into the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame this coming March at the annual AQHA Convention in Houston, Texas.”

Frank Merrill will be providing a short history of the past, the problems facing horsemen in the current environment, and the solutions for the equine industry to consider in order to ensure growth in the future.

At the 2013 HBOC, Frank Merrill will be providing a short history of the past, the problems facing horsemen in the current environment, and the solutions for the equine industry to consider in order to ensure growth in the future.

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

25

HORSE, HEALTH & HOME Inside and Outside Your Stable Training

Don’t boil your horse!

Glenn Stewart discusses the benefits of giving your horse thinking time in order to learn GET A GRIP Ask the trainers

By Glenn Stewart Baldonnel, B.C.

I

f you have been around the horse world, you have heard the saying, “Give the horse time to soak.” It means giving a horse time to think about what just happened, the time to digest something they are learning.

It’s a very good practice and will really speed up the amount of things a horse can learn and shorten the time it takes to learn them.

“Soaking” is allowing the horse time to relax and think. It may be standing still or walking quietly along. It is a time when nothing is being asked of the horse.

When I say, “don’t boil them,” I think of times when too much is asked of a horse, when it is too much of a stretch for them to learn, grasp, or get to in that session. Too much pressure is used trying to achieve an unreasonable amount.

Keeping a reasonable expectation of what a horse can learn in a session is different for each horse, and the capabilities of that particular horse. Have big expectations but get there in small pieces, and let them soak and have space to think after each little improvement.

Pushing for a big expectation without soaking along the way on the smaller individual improvements will just boil them up and actually slow down the goal you are wanting. I truly believe horses like to learn and are better for it, given the opportunity to soak, not boil.

An example of a big expectation might be to have your horse load quietly into the trailer when they are scared of it or have had nothing but bad memories every time they see one ( use any example you want — flying lead change, canter pirouette, sliding stop).

I like to always remind myself it isn’t about the trailer. It is about having a horse that follows a feel on the rope. It’s about a horse that knows if they try they will be rewarded (soaking). It’s about teaching them to trust your judgment and requests. If they look towards the trailer, step towards the trailer, sniff the floor, all these little tries need to have a rub and a little time to soak.

The opposite would be to boil them and the pressure stays on until the horse is in the trailer.

The ropes come out behind the butt, one person is pulling on the lead, another on the butt rope, and a third whooping and hollering behind the horse.

In the last scenario it is all about the trailer with no thought to how many things need to be addressed

Soaking can be while riding. all photos: Dixie Stewart

Bon’t boil your horse, let him soak — Glenn and the boys take a moment.

or get working before thinking about loading. When a horse is pushed, pulled, and dragged into a trailer, they don’t learn how to load or unload.

They didn’t get to practice — one foot in, then one foot out, then two feet step in and two feet step out, and so on. That is the horse practicing.

Many times people end up boiling their horses, too much pressure, unreasonable expectations and no time allowing for the soak.

We need time too, just as horses do, to learn where each piece of the puzzle goes rather trying to place all the pieces at once.

I have found it to be true, especially for the over-achievers. Slowing down and rewarding the smaller pieces more often gets us where we want to be faster. Let them soak so they will grow. If we boil them, then

“Soak Dammit! I said stay there and soak!”

all too often they will be cooked, and then they are done.

Glenn Stewart travels extensively conducting clinics, demonstrations, and colt starting sessions, and also offers Camps and a 3 month Horsemanship Course at his home The Horse Ranch, as well as the Horsemanship Learning Adventure Series; two completely different experiences, High & Wild in the Northern BC Rockies, and Working Equitation with Lusitanos in Brazil.

He rides 30-60 client horses per year, including young horses, restarts, challenging horses, and foundation training. Glenn is a former Champion of the Cowboy Up Challenge at the Calgary Stampede and was chosen as one of the Canadian representatives in the 2012 Road to the Horse, the World Championship of Colt Starting in Murfreesboro, TN. More information by calling 1 877 728 8987 or visiting www. thehorseranch.com

And it all worked out in the end.

Glenn and Az soaking after some 22-foot Line Lateral Work.

Sometimes there can be a lot going on and the moment can still be a soaker, it is all in how the horse perceives the situation, and the person to be able to correctly read it.

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H ORSE, HEALTH & HOME Trainers

show jumping

What to look for in a trainer

Terri McKinney offers advice on how to find a good trainer for your young horse BACKCOUNTRY TRAVELS Trail riding tips and information

By Terri McKinney Kingman, Alta.

T

his is the year you should try something new or think outside of the box for you and your horse! Challenging yourself with your horse can not only be adventurous, but you can get out and meet new horse people!

With mountains all snow capped and the bears hibernating, it doesn’t mean we have to! There are tons of clinics, fun events, cutter rallies, and options for winter riding. Look around in your local area for some horse activities to get you out and about with your horse this winter.

But what if you have a green horse that is ready to train? Where do you start? Now is a good time to get thinking about riding in those mountains and taking your new horse! So let’s get that horse started!

First an apology from all the good horse trainers about the bad horse trainers. We are sorry to anyone and their horse that has been to the “bad trainer.”

I am spurred on to write this month’s article because of the emails I’ve received from distraught people with problem horses because of bad trainers. I want you to get informed so you can enjoy years of great riding with your horse you may have raised or fell in love with. There are great trainers out there — now let me help you find one.

I am here to help and want to give you insider advice on trainers because you want the best for your horse. Thirty days in the wrong hands can be a lifetime of problems. Would you send your child to a bad school or daycare? We need to demand the best for our horses as well.

The first question for you before you send out your horse for training — are you green or new to horses?

Are you willing to spend the time and money to make your horse ready for you? Should you maybe look at options of buying a horse more suitable to you? These are honest questions that you should take into serious consideration because there is no guarantee an unbroke or green horse will be safe in the long run.

You want the best for you, your family and your horse. Getting a horse started is great but for the green or seasoned rider, are you prepared to keep that training and riding going? Some budgets can get carried away on green horses that are not suitable so check your budget and ask yourself some questions.

Ask yourself what type of training are you seeking for you and your horse. The reason — you don’t want a finishing trainer for your colt or a cutting trainer for your trail horse. Ask your horse friends first, then start your research.

Photo: Thinkstock

Ask for past clients and phone them up. Go meet potential trainers, get a feel for their place and listen to your gut. Ask if you can watch them train. Ride a few of their horses and watch what gear they are using and if it’s practical for you.

I would watch for soft hands, what bits they use, if they seem to ride harsh, bigger bits than needed, tie downs, etc. Educate yourself on what you’re looking for in a trainer before this step.

If you feel great about the trainer, I would ask if you can go for a ride on a horse they have trained as this will give you a ton of insight into their training. If they are a clinician, take in one of their clinics. Make sure you see who rides the horse when sent for training.

Then ask questions: 1. Who rides my horse — you or an assistant?

2. How many hours or miles and where will they be ridden?

Good question for trail riding owners because it is just not practical to have your horse trained inside when you will be riding outside. I start colts and you all know where I ride so I believe that horses should be started on the trail and learn where there feet go first. Not everyone starts there colts inside, even some top cutters start all their colts outside. Outside gives them the chance to mature before they are ready to get fancy.

My honest opinion on this is you should be able to do all the practical and finished riding wherever your location is.

“Would you send your child to a bad school or daycare? We need to demand the best for our horses as well.”

— Terri McKinney

3. What are all the costs so you can make a budget? Ask about farrier work, boarding ,feed, worming, etc. Bills can add up if you’re not informed on other costs. What does the training include?

4. What results shall I expect in the training time?

5. What if you or your horse get hurt? Things happen and trainers and horses get hurt. I think it’s an important question because then there is no grey area if happens.

6. How many horses do you train a month? Huge question for me that folks need to ask because lots of trainers take on too many horses, get overwhelmed and horses sit. Not fair to you.

7. Be up front with your trainer on what you need. If you don’t need fancy buttons, then tell them. If you need certain things like roping skills or fine tuning, then seek this out. Each trainer has a niche so seek the trainer right for you. Mine is colts… love them.

8. Ask if you can be a part of the training. Ask the protocol for visiting and stop over. Don’t disturb the trainer at their job for hours on end and be polite.

9. How much time will you spend with me when my horse is done training? Just because the

trainer can make your horse perform, doesn’t mean you can.

Everyone rides different so make sure there is follow up care.

Trust is a huge thing when sending your horse out and what you’re looking for is someone who is not going to keep training your horse just for your money but an honest person who will keep you in the loop and help you and your horse succeed.

Once you find this trainer, keep them and thank them. Now get out and take in a clinic, learn something new and enjoy your four-legged kids.

Just remember, it’s your horse and you both should want what is best.

See you next time and may your trails be clear, your pack string safe and your camp just around the corner.

Terri McKinney and her husband Chuck McKinney & their daughter own and operate Wilde Deuce Retreats and Outfitting southwest of Rocky Mountain House, Alberta in the Bighorn Backcountry. They teach horsemanship clinics, do packing demos, train horses in the mountains, offer trail rides and pack trips. They put on over 1500 miles a season and hold Canada’s ONLY Working Mountain Horse Competition & Select Sale each fall. For more info, go to www.wilddeuce.com

Eric Lamaze makes appearance at Geneva Horse Show Canada’s Eric Lamaze made his first competition appearance in three months at the Geneva International Horse Show, but in the capacity of commentator, not competitor.

Lamaze, the 2008 Olympic Show Jumping Champion and former No. 1 in the Rolex Rider Rankings, began a short hiatus from competition following the Spruce Meadows Masters in Calgary in September. While Lamaze will not return to competition until the 2013 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, he travelled to Geneva to support the competition held December 6 to 9.

Lamaze provided the large audience with a course description, giving them an insider’s look at the challenges and questions posed by Swiss course designer Rolf Ludi in the Palexpo Arena.

Lamaze also conducted a course assessment for the media prior to the event on behalf of Rolex.

He provided television commentary of the Rolex World Cup Grand Prix, the sixth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2012-13 Western European League, for French broadcast outlet, Equidia.

The trip to Geneva also gave Lamaze an opportunity to watch Pilar Cordon of Spain compete with Coriana van Klapscheut, the horse that carried him to second place in the 2011 edition of the Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final. Cordon has shown the 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned

by Artisan Farms in the past when Lamaze has had scheduling conflicts, and took over the ride for the European indoor circuit when Lamaze announced his break.

“It was nice to see all my friends from Rolex and from the European circuit, and being in Geneva also gave me a chance to watch Coriana being ridden by Pilar. I was very pleased with how the horse is jumping.”

Lamaze continued, “I’m back riding again myself, and looking forward to the 2013 season where we’ll concentrate on making up a new string of young horses.”

Lamaze will be riding two new horses, Rosana du Park, a 2005 bay selle francais mare (Kannan x Quinine de Livoye) and Big Smile, a 2006 grey Westphalian mare (Cartano x Hors de la Loi II). Both horses were purchased by the Ziegler family’s Artisan Farms and arrived in Wellington, Florida, in mid-November.

2008 Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze (right) gives a course description to the audience with Alban Poudret at CSI5*-W Geneva, Switzerland.”

Photo: Revolution Sports

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HORSE, HEALTH & HOME GOALS

Are your New Year’s horse resolutions realistic?

Psychologist April Clay explains the difference between outcome goals and performance goals RIDING OUT OF MY MIND Equestrian sport psychology

By April Clay, Psychologist Calgary, Alta.

Y

es, it is that time of year again.

The time when we all start reviewing our past goals, and making plans for the new year. It seems like something we should be looking forward to, but in actuality, a root canal holds more appeal.

Why do we all cringe at the thought of setting goals? It has been said that the most effective way to ensure you do not set ineffective goals is to not set any at all. No plans were made, and nobody gets disappointed or hurt. So that about sums up why we don’t want to commit.

It is true, however, that if you put a little effort into the “how” part of setting goals, the reaching aspect won’t seem so darned daunting.

A GOAL BY ANY OTHER NAME… First, consider that there are different kinds of goals. The most troublesome comes in a format known as an “outcome goal.” This kind of goal has

to do with a particular outcome (win or lose). It is stated in very black and white terms, and leaves little room for error.

Research with athletes of all types reveals that outcome goals are most associated with stress. This is due in part to the 50/50 chance you have of achievement, and as well that outside factors are not taken into account.

Consider this question: just how much control do you have over winning? In reality, you have only a certain percentage. There will always be elements that are out of your control like judging, your horse’s health and ring conditions just to name a few.

So if you only set these kinds of goals, what happens is that you inadvertently end up taking responsibility for things that you could not change.

The result is, you guessed it, you feel bad and your sport esteem suffers.

So instead, think about setting “performance goals.” These are goals based on personal performance targets or skills.

Choosing to focus on improving your upper body alignment is one example, as is improving the snap on your roll back. Both of these goals focus on skill development.

You can easily control the progress

of such targets, as well as measure them. They put you in the driver’s seat, and of course you get to take all the credit — leading to you feeling successful and more confident in your abilities.

When you are setting performance goals, another technique you can use for clarification is something called “scaling.” Scaling a skill means defining what that skill will look like at different levels of development on a scale from one to five.

For example, for the skill of body control, a one may be able to identify correct position, and at five the rider is able to use different body positions to influence the horse. It can also be useful to sit down and define each step with your coach so you both know what you are looking for.

USING A PERFORMANCE PROFILE: Another way to approach your goal setting is to develop a performance profile. A performance profile explores what skills are required to reach success in a particular sport.

Usually, the rider and coach will brainstorm together what is important both mentally and physically to reach success.

Try to use your own language (as opposed to skill definitions you have heard from other sources) to describe the skill, as this assists both with ownership and understanding.

Your mental list may include elements such as focus control and relaxation and your physical list soft hands and correct feel.

These are just examples… obviously your list will be quite a bit lengthier and reflect the requirements of your particular horse sport.

A hunter profile will look vastly different from that of a barrel racer or reiner.

Once you have decided on the skills necessary for successful performance, make up a chart that lists the skills and provides a space to rate them on a scale from one to ten.

Ask yourself where you are right now and rate yourself on each skill.

Then have your coach do the same and compare notes. It can make for some very interesting discussion and sometimes some much needed clarification between you both.

TRACKING OPTIONS: You can easily make up your own goaltracking sheet to keep up to date on your progress. Check in once a month

and note your improvements. Keep in mind you might also need to refine your goals as you go along if they are no longer applicable or just plain not working for you.

Other riders like the idea of using a sport journal. This is one book that you can write down daily observations about your riding and as well keep track of goal progress. Talk with your coach and see what seems to be the appropriate route for you.

The important part is that you do keep track! One place many athletes fall down in their goal setting is not putting in the work to monitor their vision. This is part of what distinguishes goal setting from wishful thinking.

COMMON DOS AND DON’TS: • Set realistic goals (perfectionists, watch out!).

• Keep your goals measurable.

• Set a time table for your goals.

• Make sure you take into account controllable and uncontrollable factors.

• Always state goals positively • Make your goals as specific as possible.

• Make sure all goals can be related to what is done today.

Register now for our 2013 events!

EVENTS AT THE HORSE RANCH

May 23 - June 13 Natural Horsemanship 3-Week Summer Intensive May 23 - Aug 9

Natural Horsemanship 12-Week Summer Intensive

May 25 - May 28 Natural Horsemanship Camp 1 (Stage 1) May 30 - June 2

Natural Horsemanship Camp 2 (Stage 2)

June 5 - June 8

Natural Horsemanship Camp 3 (Stage 3&4)

June 10 - June 13 Natural Horsemanship Camp 4 (Stage 3&4 Advanced) July 17 - July 25 Natural Horsemanship Camp 5 (Stage 5&6) Sept 14 - Sept 15

Extreme Horsemanship Canada Competition

HIGH & WILD HORSEMANSHIP ADVENTURES July 28 - August 3 High & Wild Colt Starting, Young Horse Development & Problem Solving August 3 - August 9 High & Wild Wilderness Horsemanship Learning Adventure

Please contact Dixie at 1-877-728-8987 or email dixie@thehorseranch.com

Master Horsemanship Series 6-DVDs CALL 1-877-728-8987

OTHER EVENTS WITH GLENN STEWART

BRITISH COLUMBIA: Jan 5 -Jan 6 4H Natural Horsemanship Clinic, Dawson Creek, BC Please contact Dana Gaucher - phone: 250-782-7085 email: gaucher@pris.ca April 19 Stage 3/4 Natural Horsemanship Clinic - Smithers BC April 20 -21 Stage 1 Natural Horsemanship Clinic Please contact Anika at 250-846-5494 or email gattiker@telus.net SASKATCHEWAN: Jan 8 - Jan 12 Glenn Stewart Colt Starting & Horse Development - Saskatoon Jan 14 - Jan 18 Colt Starting & Horse Development - Saskatoon, SK April 9 - April 11 Horse Development, Spring Tune Up - Saskatoon, SK April 12 - April 14 - Natural Horsemanship Workshop - Saskatoon, SK Please contact Wendy Eliason at 306-492-4995 or email wmehoward@live.com MANITOBA: April 27 - April 28 Stage 1 Natural Horsemanship Clinic - Stonewall, MB April 29 - April 30 Stage 2/3 Natural Horsemanship Clinic - Stonewall, MB May 1 - May 4 Stage 5 Natural Horsemanship Clinic - Stonewall, MB Please contact Penny at 204-467-8789 or email pfidler@rainyday.ca ALBERTA: September 3-4 Natural Horsemanship Stage 1 Clinic Water Valley, AB September 5-6 Natural Horsemanship AdvancedStage 1 Clinic Water Valley September 7-8 Extreme Horsemanship Canada Clinic & Competition Please contact Candice Tkachuk at 403-804-0334 or email candy@equivico.ca

Also from The Horse Ranch:

•Sale Horses • Colt Starting • Stallions •Horse Development • Online Store •Natural Horsemanship Equipment •DVDs • Working Student Program

www.thehorseranch.com

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H ORSE, HEALTH & HOME Winter Hauling

Safe travels — tips for winter horse hauling Over-blanketing causing heat is a common error in trucking horses in cold weather HANDS-ON HORSEKEEPING Horse care advice

By Wendy Dudley Millarville, Alta.

H

auling precious cargo down an icy road can be a hairraising adventure. Especially when drivers don’t use common sense, said Kim Elliott, who’s been trucking horses between Canada and the U.S. for almost 10 years. She’s watched horse trailers jack-knife and flip over because drivers refused to slow down.

Most drivers will venture out no matter the temperature, but when it comes to road conditions, that’s another matter.

“You’ve got to monitor the weather. I check the weather using my laptop, phone, and with family contacts. I want to know what’s ahead of me,” said Elliott who runs Elliott Equine Transport out of Okotoks, Alta.

“The last thing you want is to be broken down or stuck at the side of the road in a storm, without water, and maybe a mare who starts to foal out,” she said.

If a storm is blowing in or if temperatures drop much below -25, most haulers will lay-over, not risking the safety of the horses or themselves.

“I’ve got living quarters in my

Horses that are kept outside and have haired up can be hauled in winter without fear of it being too cold. Over-blanketing is a common error made in hauling horses in winter. Also make sure you park the trailer where it will not be drifted in, and surfaces are safe for loading horses. Photos: Wendy Dudley

truck so I can stay put,” said Mark Roy who runs Gold Buckle Equine Transportation, based out of Dalemead, Alta. “And there’s horse motels all along the way, at campgrounds or on fair grounds.”

Elliott has transported a foal of the great Calgary Stampede bucking horse Grated Coconut and hauled monstrous draft horses, each requiring special care and monitoring to ensure they remain safe and healthy throughout the long trip.

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Proper ventilation, even in winter, is important to reduce risk of respiratory problems.

The worse thing a hauler can do is over-blanket the horses, said Ray Vanee, coowner of Vanee Livestock Transportation. “If you have a lot of horses in there, it can get pretty warm. They throw off a lot of heat. So if they’re sweating and you unload them and it’s 30 below, they’re going to get sick.”

Once inside, with enough ventilation to keep the air flowing clean, the trailer becomes like a barn, said Roy. “There’s no better way to make them sick than to have them too hot. I just hauled horses up from Texas, and they just had sheets on them. Horses are pretty tough.”

But at the same time, horses lacking a winter coat or those that have been clipped need to be watched, said Elliott.

“I was bringing a slick brood mare in foal up here from the south and she didn’t have a blanket. I left the windows open at night to get her to hair-up by the time we got here.”

It takes three to five days for them to wool-up, she noted.

“You need to know if the horse is

“There’s no better way to make them sick than to have them too hot.”

— Mark Roy

headed to a place with a heated barn or if it will be unloaded into an outdoor field.”

It can be tricky moving horses that have never been outside a stall, she added. “They are barnyard princesses. They need to be blanketed, and you have to keep them as comfortable as possible without them over-heating. If they over-heat, they then need to drink more.”

Regardless of the temperatures, ventilation is a must to prevent respiratory ailments, said Vanee. Roof and high rear vents should be used to avoid having wind, snow or rain blow directly onto the horse’s body, he said.

On long hauls, horses should be monitored as to whether they are eating and more importantly drinking, as horses can easily colic without adequate hydration.

Loose horses in box stalls also should be tied if hauling in precarious conditions, said Elliott. “I don’t want them moving around if I’m on ice or going through big wind gusts,” she said.

Proper footing, such as a grip type of matting, is also a must, especially for loading and unloading horses on slippery surfaces. And by law, licensed haulers have to carry chains.

“One time I was on the Coquihalla Highway (in B.C.) with pregnant mares. I had to chain up, and even in second gear, I could barely make it,” said Elliott. Other on-board emergency winter items should include flags, flares, and appropriate tools.

Winter hauling is definitely not for the faint of heart. “It can be very stressful,” said Elliott.

“Very nerve-wracking. You have to know what you are doing.”

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HORSE, HEALTH & HOME BLANKETS

Is it really necessary to blanket your horse?

In most cases, the horse’s hair coat and other processes adapt to the cold HORSE HEALTH Expert advice

By Dr. Carol Shwetz Westlock, Alta.

A

growing horse-keeping trend is to blanket horses throughout the winter.

Most often the decision to blanket a horse is the result of an emotional response by a well-intentioned owner. It has also become acceptable to blanket due to certain lifestyles chosen for horses.

However, it is important to recognize that in general, the practice of blanketing horses is not necessary and at times blanketing or “overblanketing” may even be detrimental.

When good horse-keeping practices are implemented, the need to blanket becomes a rare exception.

The hair coat changing with the seasons is an obvious adaptation of the horse to its external climate.

Not so obvious are the many smaller dynamic processes which occur within the skin and hair coat to maintain core temperature.

These processes allow the hair coat to be dynamically engaged with the external environment, constantly adjusting and re-adjusting to maintain the horse’s comfort.

As cooler fall weather arrives, the horse metabolism adjusts incrementally by storing a layer of fatty tissue under the skin. This fatty layer acts as insulation, preparing the horse for the upcoming colder months. As a result, horses in moderate to good body condition are well suited for winter conditions.

PROPER NUTRITION Horses need access to free choice quality forage, whether in the form of well-stocked winter pastures or hay to keep warm. As temperatures drop, a horse offsets its need for warmth best by consuming more forage.

Fermentation of fibre in the hind gut generates large amounts of heat which are returned to the horse.

Although grains can be a source of energy, they provide marginal returns of heat to the horse.

Older horses in particular may need extra nutritional support.

Ensure that water is readily available for it is crucial in supporting healthy digestion. Dental health is key to good digestion as well. Factors which support digestion indirectly strengthen the horse’s ability to internally warm itself.

Sufficient movement plays a significant role in a naturally healthy horse, especially in the winter when extra movement is needed to produce body heat. Horses provided with suitable spaces or those horses pawing on winter pastures move constantly, generating muscular heat and warming themselves.

For this reason, horses with limited movement generally appear more comfortable with blanketing. Limited movement occurs when turnout spaces are inadequate or when horses are older, ill or compromised.

Wind or wet weather can tax the coat’s ability to do its job, so sheds, wind fences, and/or wooded areas are necessary to provide adequate shelter.

Horses will move in and out of shelters as they choose, maintaining their own comfort.

PROPER FIT When a horse is blanketed, the nature of its hair coat changes. As a result it will begin to appear as if the horse “needs” to continue to be blanketed.

In part this is correct for, over time, blanketing disables the horse’s own natural abilities to stay warm.

Styles and shapes of horse blankets vary as much as styles and shapes of horses do so ill-fitting blankets are not uncommon. Ill-fitted blankets do not allow the neck, shoulders, and withers to move freely. This interference with movement causes the

horse to compensate by shortening their stride and tightening their back.

These changes can and do carry over into posture, carriage, and performance problems.

If one does choose to blanket, the horse needs supervision to ensure that fluxes to warmer daytime temperatures do not leave the horse uncomfortably warm, sweating or with colic. The horse’s own hair coat must remain dry and warm under the blanket. Additionally skin problems develop readily in the moist warm environment created by over-blanketed horses.

Carol Shwetz is a veterinarian specializing in equine practice at Westlock, Alberta.

Horses maintain their internal warmth through movement and heat of digestion.

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H ORSE, HEALTH & HOME Equin e I D

Should I freeze brand my horse?

It’s important to know how to identify your horse and how to document ownership HANDS-ON HORSEKEEPING Horse care advice

By Robyn Moore Airdrie, Alta.

W

hen a horse goes missing, there is a community of people willing to help spread the news, share photos on social media, and put up posters around town. Everyone rallies to help the distraught owner find his horse, because we all know, it’s every horse owner’s worst nightmare.

But what have you done to help identify your horse?

There are two types of identification: the horse’s identification and ownership identification. The horse’s identification is it’s physical description, for example a bay gelding with a snip, left hind sock, and a scar above the coronet band on it’s front right. Ownership identification is proven through brand, tattoo, registration papers or bill of sale.

“Horse identification is important to a horse owner,” says Ron Anderson, Livestock Identification Services Horse Sector Representative from Horse Industry Association of Alberta.

“Branding is still the most reliable theft prevention method. Freeze branding provides all the positives while addressing the concerns of animal welfare in so far as the process is painless. Brands can be a theft deterrent and an identifying mark even if not registered. Some breeders have chosen to use a brand symbol that is not recognized as a registered brand here in Alberta.”

The RCMP Livestock Section recommends freeze branding as the best way of identifying horses. A freeze brand, as opposed to a hot brand, can be seen from farther away. “I have investigated stolen horse complaints where the stolen horse had been branded and once the thief observed the horse in the light of day and noticed the brand, he turned the horse loose,” Cpl. Ed

Turko notes, “The experienced thief knows the freeze-branded horse is easily recognized.”

If a stolen horse is branded, it will be identified by brand inspectors when sold at public auction, in a feedlot, packing plant, or when exported out of province.

Microchips are a very common way to identify pets such as dogs and cats. This technology is also available for horses; the electronic device is inserted into the horse’s neck and carries a unique identification number that can be read by a scanner. Equine Canada has announced that as of January 1, 2013, all horses entering the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) system for the first time must be microchipped as per FEI regulations. Unfortunately, a microchip is not a visible theft deterrent.

Document your horses’ physical description. “Taking photographs of your horse in summer and winter from all angles is a useful practice as well. Try to capture unique patterns or distinguishing marks,” comments Ron. In addition, keep a file of the horse’s medical records, bill of sale, and registration papers.

Kim Hiebert has been trying to locate her horse Spec, for the past two years. Her horse was allegedly stolen from Plumas, Man. He was not branded or micro chipped. He is a 11-year-old registered Overo Paint sorrel gelding standing 14hh.

“I have spent days and months, and yes, two years, now looking for Spec but I will not give up,” says Kim. “I have him all over the internet, posters in tack stores, vet clinics and auction marts, animal transporters, horse rescuers. Where ever I can think of... he has his own Facebook page thanks to Bianca and many many nice people trying to help. Day after day and week after week I will keep looking until Spec is home.”

Many different tools for ownership identification are being marketed to the horse market but the only legally recognized and regularly inspected form is branding.

Horse tattoos and micro chipping

Photograph your horse from all angles, trying to capture identifying marks. This is Spec, missing from Manitoba since 2010.

is a valid tool for proof of identification, but they are not regularly checked as part of an inspection.

Other identification technologies are being developed for use in the horse industry, including iris scans, retinal scans, and RFID tattoos.

Horse owners need to be aware that they are required to register their brand with the appropriate organization in their province: Livestock Identification Services in Alberta, Ownership Identification Inc. in British Columbia, or Saskatchewan Agriculture Livestock Branch. They will instruct owners on how to register their brand.

After a brand is registered, the branding irons need to be designed and purchased. L & H Branding Irons out of North Dakota manufactures branding irons. They also have extensive information about how to brand on their website (www. lhbrandingirons.com). Consult a veterinarian or an experienced professional to aid you with branding.

If you have information about a stolen horse, call your local RCMP or CrimeStoppers (1-800-222TIPS).

brandin g

Freeze branding procedures For owners with two to three horses, it is best to trailer your horse to a qualified vet and have them freeze brand your horses. We present the following information so you know what to expect but we strongly urge you to work with your vet.

Freeze branding Chill the irons in the desired coolant. Pour enough coolant into the container to adequately cover the heads of the irons by 1”. The surface of the coolant will appear to boil when the irons are introduced into the coolant, when this boiling subsides the irons are as cool as the coolant will allow and are ready to use.

Restrain the animal with your desired method, squeeze chute or calf table for cattle and twitch or stock for horses, making sure the site to be branded is accessible. If the animal needs to be sedated, consult your veterinarian.

Clean the brand site of foreign material. Clip the brand site as square as possible, particularly at the bottom, to aid in square placement of the brand. Thoroughly dry the brand site if the animal is sweating or is wet from the rain or washing.

Squirt room temperature alcohol over the brand site, thoroughly covering the entire area. This removes some skin oils and helps transfer cold from the iron head to the skin.

Immediately after the alcohol soak, quickly remove the appropriate iron from the container, align it properly and firmly press the iron squarely on the brand site. As the iron is pressed to the skin the stopwatch should be started. Hold the iron firmly, applying 35 to 45 pounds of steady pressure, with a slight rocking motion. When the appropriate time has elapsed on the stopwatch, the iron should be immediately removed from contact with the skin.

Appropriate application times can be found at www.lhbrandingirons. com or through your vet.

Information courtesy of L & H Branding Irons

The only legally recognized and regularly inspected form of horse identification is branding. photo: THINKSTOCK

A freeze branding iron provides all the positives while addressing the concerns of animal welfare in so far as the process is painless. photo: L & H Branding irons

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HAPPENINGS Events and News of Note Trail Rides

On the trail of

Lawrence of Arabia Darley Newman takes us across the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan

By Darley Newman Bethesda, Maryland

A

s my horse Chams began to inch forward past my Bedouin guide Atallah on his well-trained racing mount, my heart beat so quickly that I could hardly breathe. I pulled the reins back and sat deep in the saddle, cueing Chams to slow down.

Chams listened at first, but then plunged forward ahead of Atallah. I could tell that instinct was kicking in and that these Arabian steeds were in racing mode.

I held tight, nervous and giddy as I led four Bedouins towards an area of rocky sand, where we’d be forced to slow down because of the footing. Out of breath and sweaty, we slowed to a walk in an area where large red sandstone cliffs rose up on either side, providing some shade.

I looked over at Atallah, whose kind face beamed with a toothy smile. A world-class endurance rider, my Jordanian guide was in his element. I hoped that by the end of my time riding with Atallah in the Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan, I’d be there too.

The Wadi Rum Desert in Jordan is called “The Valley of the Moon.” Having ridden the lunar landscapes of Iceland as well as the dramatic landscapes of America’s Southwest, I found the Wadi Rum to be a mix of the two.

It’s much more diverse than the moon with its variety of pink, red and white sandstone formations, which are striated with lines of black, pockmarked with crevices and decorated with 2,500 year-old petroglyphs.

The desert is stunning with surprisingly diverse scenery. There are areas of rocky sand mixed with large dunes, prickly green shrubs and imposing mountain monuments rising up to bright blue, cloudless skies.

Dramatic… beautiful… and I wouldn’t want to ride there without a guide, as weaving through those canyons, I would certainly If you go

Visit EquitrekkingTravel.com to learn more about how you can take a riding vacation in Jordan and in other exotic locales around the world.

get lost. You might want to get lost, as the desert is magical, but not during the midday heat! I quickly learned from my Bedouin guide to always be on the lookout for shade.

Many people know of the Wadi Rum from the 1962 epic film Lawrence of Arabia, much of which was filmed in the desert. I did sort of feel like Lawrence as my guide, Atallah, pointed out The Seven Pillars of Wisdom rock formation in the distance. It was named because of the book written by British officer T. E. Lawrence, who was based in Wadi Rum during the Arab Revolt of 1917-18.

As we travelled further from civilization, my Arabian horse’s hooves sunk into the sand and I really appreciated being on horseback for my trek. If you’ve ever walked on the beach, you know that it can require greater effort. It’s the same for maneuvering through the desert. I was looking forward to covering a lot of ground, and horseback riding seemed the best way to do it.

Atallah leads riders on tours of the desert on his well-built Arabian horses. He grew up in the Wadi Rum and knows the land instinctively. His horses do too and are conditioned to conquer the desert extremes.

There are only certain places where the sand allows for faster riding, so when we could, we took advantage.

I ride horses all over the world, but I was a little nervous to ride Arabians in the vast, open desert. As a breed, Arabians are known to be more spirited. They have been bred for endurance and speed.

It’s the Bedouin who are thought to be some of the original breeders of Arabians.

As a traveller coming into the desert ride and camp for a few days, the thought of riding these horses with their Bedouin owners, both of whom have survived here for generations, is exciting and daunting. Atallah’s horses certainly were spirited, but they also listened, giving me confidence in the sand.

In the extreme heat and sun, I covered my head with a scarf. At lunch, my Bedouin friends would lay out mats on the sand, light a fire and cook simple but delicious meals, followed by piping hot chai tea with various herbs and spices.

I’m not one for napping, but as I sat with my boots off in the shade and quiet of the desert, starring at the horses grazing and feeling drowsy and full, I dozed off for a

Top: Large red sandstone cliffs rise up in the Wadi Rum desert, providing some shade and relief from the baking sun. Above: Emmy-award winning journalist Darley Newman explores a canyon in ‘The Valley of the Moon’ with her Bedouin guide, Atallah. photo: Equitrekking.com

few minutes. When I arose, I saw a string of camels in front of me, crossing the desert like a mirage in the distance.

As we continued our ride into Lawrence Canyon one afternoon after lunch, I was astounded by the abundance of life in the desert. There was a lot more greenery than I imagined. The Bedouin use these desert plants to their advantage.

Atallah pointed out a bush that he crushes and lathers into a natural soap, a sort of desert Purell. We passed prickly Haloxylon shrubs, which have deep roots that help hold the desert sand in place.

I saw lizards scurry across my path, leaving delicate prints alongside the tracks of Ibex, a wild goat with distinctive ridged horns.

The Sinai Rosefinch, Jordan’s national bird, chirped in a secluded section of a canyon, where it was searching for small pools of water. I sat on Chams, quietly listening and watching as the small sparrow-sized bird revealed its bright pink chest.

That’s the beauty of traveling on horseback in the Wadi Rum. You are able to unobtrusively watch the natural world and hopefully, blend in with the natives.

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H APPENINGS Travel

Cattle and cowboys changed the West A trip to the Fort Worth Stockyards will open your eyes to the history of the American cowboy GOING DOWN THE TRAIL Places and events of interest

By Heather Grovet Galahad, Alta.

I

grew up reading Westerns, and to be honest, I never totally understood them. The stories of cowboys and their trusty mounts pushing cattle down the dusty trail for months on end weren’t part of my Alberta family’s heritage.

But a trip to the Stockyards National Historic District in Fort Worth, Texas, helped me to finally understand these stories.

Cattle first came to North America between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries. Early Spanish explorers brought longhorn cattle with them, and soon they flourished in Texas and Mexico, running on the open range and cared for by cowboys known as vaqueros.

Later Anglo-American pioneers traveled west, bringing with them European breeds, which intermingled with the hardy longhorns.

But when the American Civil War broke out in 1861, Texas ranchers left their farms to fight for the confederate Army. Their cattle ran wild across the state, quickly multiplying.

By the end of the Civil War it was estimated Texas had five million feral cattle, and they were free for the taking. But there were no market for these cattle in the south.

There was, however, a strong demand for cattle in the north.

Cattle could be purchased for $5/ head in Texas, and sold for five to 20 times that amount in California.

This was the beginning of Texas’ grueling cattle drives. The rangy, tough longhorns were wild and fast, but skilled cowboys — many only teenagers — found ways to handle them.

After several days of running, then trotting and finally walking, the wild animals could be managed almost like domestic cattle. Trips north could last months as cattle could only travel 15 miles a day while maintain a moderate amount of weight.

“Do your children want to ride a mechanical bucking bull? Or a mechanical bucking fish?

There’s a place to do it. Need a new saddle?

Or some Western furniture? Or a $4000 pair of cowboy boots? You can buy all these things, and more, at the stockyards.”

— Heather Grovet

The Fort Worth Stockyards offers countless activities - a ride on the Texas Stageline, a trip on their vintage railroad or even renting a horse from their stable, and helping move longhorn across the venue. Photos: Heather Grovet

The early cowboys lived through great hardships that few of us would willingly face today.

Between 1866 and 1890 more than four million head of cattle were trailed though “Cowtown,” Fort Worth, which was one of the last places for a rest and supplies in Texas. Then in 1876 the railroad arrived, which allowed Fort Worth to become a major shipping point for livestock.

Today tourists can visit the 125 acre complex of stockyards, once the largest livestock marketing centre in the southwest.

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Many of the stockyard’s original structures remain such as the Stockyards Hotel, the Livestock Exchange, and Booger Red’s Saloon. New attractions also flourish, all with a Western theme.

You can visit the Stockyards Museum, Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, Cowtown Cattlepen Maze and dozens of galleries, restaurants and shops.

Do your children want to ride a mechanical bucking bull? Or a mechanical bucking fish? There’s a place to do it. Need a new saddle? Or some Western furniture? Or a $4,000 pair of cowboy boots? You can buy all these things, and more, at the stockyards.

And since everything is bigger in Texas, you won’t want to miss Billy Bob’s Texas, which is the world’s largest honky-tonk bar. Billy Bob’s is three acres in size with its own indoor rodeo arena — no mechanical bulls here, instead the world’s best bullriders compete weekly on real livestock — plus they have a bustling concert schedule, a Texas-sized dance floor, restaurants, and Wall of Fame with celebrity handprints.

Another oversized highlight is

the twice daily cattle drive down Fort Worth’s East Exchange Avenue. Here you’ll see a unique herd of Texas Longhorns as they are moved from one area of the stockyards to the next.

These aren’t your typical longhorns. Many are elderly steers, and each is named; Durango, Colt 45, and Freckles. These longhorns were donated to the city by various breeders because of their unusual size, colour, and most importantly, their incredible horn spans, some which can be 90 inches in length!

I would recommend a visit to the Stockyards Historical District if you ever visit Texas.

Admission is free, but you’ll pay for parking and extras. Riding the Texas stagecoach is $10, watching the Stockyards Champion Rodeos $15-$20, touring the Stockyard Museum is $2.

One thing you won’t want to miss is the historic walking tour, which will share the area’s history and get you into Billy Bob’s for $12.

If you go

For more information, visit www.fortworthstockyards.org

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One of the stockyard’s highlights is their twice daily cattle drive down East Exchange Avenue. Here a herd of Texas Longhorn are moved by a small group of cowboys past excited tourists.

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

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H APPENINGS Olds College

Alumni students saddle up for Centennial events Olds College celebrates 100th birthday with friendly horse games GOING DOWN THE TRAIL Places and events of interest

By Wendy Dudley Olds, Alta.

W

hen Katrina van den Bosch saddles up for the Olds College equine centennial celebration to be held this spring, she’ll be turning back the clock to 1988, when she was a 19-year-old student entering her first year of the equine science program.

Raised in Victoria, B.C., she grew up like many horse-crazy girls, mucking out stables to make extra dollars so she could take a few more lessons. Earning a college diploma in English Riding Horsemanship opened numerous stable doors, connecting her with professional equine outfits. She groomed and rode for Canadian Olympic jumper Jonathan Asselin, Canada’s show jumping chef d’equipe Torchy Millar, and U.S. show jumper Kyle King.

Travelling full circle, she ended up back at Olds College as an instructor in its equine program.

Now 44 years old, she is raising three children, and breeds Canadian Warmblood hunters and jumpers on her farm east of Olds. Van den Bosch is an active member of the Alberta chapter of

the Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association.

Thinking about the upcoming centennial celebration has her as giddy as a school kid. “The idea of getting back together will be great fun. There were five of us that were really close. They became my dearest friends,” said van den Bosch. “It will be a chance to upgrade my skills, and reunite with my buddies for bragging rights.”

In April, current students and equine program alumni are invited to participate in three days of Equine Centennial events which include a clinic by Advanced Centred Riding instructor Peggy Brown, of Toledo, Ohio, and two days of friendly horse competition.

“It will be a chance to reunite with my buddies... for bragging rights.”

— Katrina van den Bosch

Brown, who has appeared at the Horse Breeders and Owners Conference in Red Deer, helps riders learn about their own bodies and movement, and how that affects

the movement of their horses.

The Games, to be staged April 30-May 2, will consist of either teams or individuals competing in freestyle riding patterns, with optional obstacles. “This is not a die-hard horse show. Because it’s freestyle, riders can be creative and imaginative,” said Dr. Marion Anderson, co-ordinator of the college’s equine science program.

One team member will ride Western, the other English. A third member will enter the Jeopardy contest, answering questions in the areas of anatomy and physiology, reproduction, horse care, horsemanship and college history. The riding will be judged by a panel of industry members Ron Anderson, Gord Wilson and Sandy Alexander.

Students are expected to bring their own horses, but the college is prepared to supply a steed, if given advance notice.

The equine games are a signature event of the college’s 100 year birthday. Its horse program began in the early ’70s as a general horsemanship program, evolving into a two-year diploma with majors in Western and English Horsemanship, Production and Breeding, Business and Event Management and Equestrian Coaching.

Graduates can then enrol for another year in England’s Hart-

pury College (considered the heart of English horsemanship), and receive a Bachelor’s degree in Equine Management.

Just like the number of rural residents in Canada has declined, so have the number of students coming from farm backgrounds, noted Anderson. About 75 per cent of the students now come from towns and cities, with many never having owned their own horse.

“It makes it challenging for us, and for the students as they learn the realities of working in the horse industry,” she said. “Many have never been up at 5 a.m. before. It’s a shock for them.”

But for those who are committed, the program enhances their resume, said van den Bosch. “It gives you a wellrounded equine education, as a jumping-off point,” she said.

“And then it’s up to you, and what you do with it, and how you get out there and make contacts. You realize just how much there is to learn, and how little glamour there really is.”

Alumni of the Olds College equine program who are interested in participating in the Equine Centennial Games should check out the website at 100.oldscollege.ca/events/equine-centennial-games.

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www.canadianagriblend.com Olds College equine science alumni member Katrina van den Bosch jumps her Canadian Warmblood named O. Zebedee. Van den Bosch plans to compete in the college’s horse events planned as part of its 100th birthday celebrations.

Photo: courtesy of Katrina van den Bosch

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

ASSOCIATION NEWS Canadian Warmbloods

The Victory Tack Shop high selling performance horse was Chagall, a son of Comic Hilltop x Regardez, consigned and bred by Equitop Farms and purchased by Justin Leahy of Galena, Illinois.

The 2012 CWHBA Fall Classic Breeders’ Sale had horses with great pedigrees and good presentation, particularly the foals and performance horses. The Fall Classic had the honour of selling the Nesbitt-Burns high scoring CWHBA Mare at Inspection for 2012 — Tarifa.

Superior dressage breeding captured high-selling status in all three sale categories. The Sparks Innovations high-selling young prospect was Florida, Furstenreich x Sandro Hit, bred and consigned by Marcy Coelho and purchased by Joey Mann and Katrina and Hans van den Bosch of Alta. The Black Iron Trailer high-selling two year old was Dolce and Gabbana, Don Frederico x Royal Senna, bred and consigned by Dr. Heather Lynn Smith-Oberten and purchased by Jessica Kellner of Victoria, B.C. Average prices increased in all but one category, ranging from 14 to 32 per cent over 2011. For more information, go to www.canadianwarmbloods.com

Alberta Friesian Horse Association

The Alberta Friesian Horse Association (AFHA) is very proud of our members who formed a Musical Ride Group and put in many hours of training and practicing with coach Colleen Organ. They have been performing over the past three years at such events as the Calgary Stampede, The ManeEvent, and the Gala evenings of the Parkland Dressage Festival in Red Deer, and at our recent AFHA 15th Anniversary show. The dedicated and talented riders include Nita Floryn, Marita Floryn, Janneke Poot, Kenton Miller, Klazien Sietzema, Lisa Boonstra, Enny VanAken, and Annie Muilwijk. Audiences have been thrilled by the performances, the beautiful Friesians and the riders in costume. There will be several performances by the group in various locations in 2013. For more info: www.afha.ca or email at contact@afha.ca.

Canada Mounted Games — Alberta Divsion

AQHA Challenge Races The AQHA Challenge Races were recently held at Evergreen Park in Grande Prairie. There were seven races total with a dollar purse of $143,740. Evergreen Park contributes $46,500 and the AQHA Challenge Program contributed the balance. The winner of the AQHA $10,000 Bonus Challenge was Legacys a Streakin, owned by Ed Borgstrom. The Win was worth $5,300.

Glittering Blue finished second owned by Rigetti Farms. Roberts Running Boot owned by 90 year old Carl Alleman from Salem, Oregon finished third. These horses have come from all over Alta., Sask., B.C., California, Texas, Washington and Oregon. The people at Evergreen Park put a lot of money and effort into making racing a great industry in Alberta.

Chinook Team Penning Association Since 1997, the Chinook Penning members have continued to honour one important individual at their Annual Year-End Banquet. The Sandy Fergie Memorial is awarded to the Chinook Penner who most exemplifies the traits evident in Sandy when he was an active participant — positive attitude, sense of humour, friendliness and willingness to help. Pete Fraser, a past penner and dedicated, knowledgeable judge of many years was the recipient of a gorgeous Olson buckle and he will Chic, owned and ridden by Hope Poole, was named Horse of the Year. also enjoy the memorial bronze until next year’s honouree is announced. Another prestigious award handed out for the past three years is the “Shooter Award” an artwork commissioned by Ron Scott, in memory of Mia Be Genuine. The Shooter Award is decided by a panel of accomplished penners and goes to the horse of the year.

In 2012, “Chic” owned and ridden by Hope Poole earned Hope the honour of taking home the prize for the year. For the complete Show Schedule and more, visit chinookpenning.com.

Alberta Donkey and Mule Club

Jimmy Potter’s mules hanging out at Chapman Lake. L to R, Rose, Mouse, Joe and D.

While it may be a few month’s yet until we can look forward to such scenes, it’s not too early to mark your calendars with upcoming events. We would like to remind everyone that horses are welcome to participate in all of our events and clinics, except the actual classes run at Tees Longears Days in August. You might want to register now for our JERRY TINDELL clinics in May and take advantage of the Early Bird Special. We will be running three four-day clinics in three locations, so there will be something for everyone and every equine! Check www.albertadonkeyandmule.com for more information or call Marlene at 403 783-5210.

Alberta Ranch Horse Versatility

Earl Koch competing in Ranch Trail.

The Alberta Ranch Horse Versatility Association wrapped up its last show on October 27, 2012 in Olds, Alta.

Ranch Horse Versatility is a new sport generating a lot of interest. It combines five events: Ranch Trail, Ranch Riding, Ranch Cutting, Working Ranch Horse, and Ranch Conformation into an all day show! There are currently four divisions — Open, Amateur, Novice Amateur, and Youth with $2,000 added at each show!

A great sport for the whole family to enjoy. For more information, visit us on the web at https://sites.google.com/site/ albertaranchhorseversatility or find us on Facebook under Alberta Ranch Horse Versatility Association.

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ASSOCIATION NEWS The APCCA is celebrating 45 years of racing in 2013 The Alberta Professional Chuckwagon and Chariot Association was organized in 1968 by a group of racers wanting to promote the sport.

Chariot racing began in 1962 with 42 to 48 inch ponies. Wagons started in 1964 in central Alberta.

The first president was Dan Gerlitz, the secretary was David McKenzie and there were six show directors. The full story of the club can be seen on the APCCA website at (www.chuckwagon.ab.ca) under the About index.

Man e Event

Equestrian icon George Morris to headline at The Mane Event Champion reiner Craig Johnson is also booked, and the popular Trainer’s Challenge is back

E

ven though the snow is falling and the wind is howling — think spring, then think the Mane Event!

April 26-28, 2013 Westerner Park in Red Deer is again the venue for the Mane Event, Equine Education & Trade Show.

For those of you who have never attended, the expo offers over 250 vendors and 115,000 sq. ft. of trade show shopping for the equine owner and rider plus 90+ hours of equine education including clinics on Reining; Jumping; Horsemanship; Dressage; Driving; Barrel Racing and of course the very popular Trainers’ Challenge.

The Trainers’ Challenge will showcase the talents of three trainers working with colts in the Round Pen for three days, with the finals over an obstacle course in the arena on Sunday afternoon.

The Mane Event is pleased to announce the first of their clinicians for this year’s expo — equestrian icon George Morris will be presenting the jumping/equitation sessions. George is well known as the founding father of Hunt Seat Equitation, the chef d’equipe of the U.S. jumping team, and a former Olympian who began his winning show career at the age of 14.

Joining George will be Craig Johnson, who will be presenting sessions on reining. Craig has been training horses and coaching riders for nearly 40 years.

He has won every major event at least once and accumulated 14 World Championships, two NRHA Futurity Championships and earnings over $1 million.

Craig competed in the first ever World Equestrian Games where reining was an approved event. Visit www.craigjohnsonreining.com for more information. Watch for Craig’s clinic titles to be announced shortly, as well as announcement on the other trainers and clinicians participating in this year’s event.

A few changes to this year’s Mane Event include an earlier

George Morris, known as the founder of the Hunt Seat Equitation, will be presenting the jumping/ equitation sessions as the 2013 Mane Event in Red Deer, Alta.

opening for Friday morning making Friday a full day, the trade show opens at 9:00 a.m. on Friday and the clinics and presentations start at 10:00 a.m.

Also, the evening Equine Experience featuring equine entertainment which used to be presented only on Saturday evening will now go both Friday and Saturday nights. As these performance always draw a packed house, we have added some guaranteed seating that can be purchased in advance to this event.

In addition, due to popularity of the Trainers’ Challenge, a VIP package has been added that includes guaranteed seating for all the sessions, including the finals in the Arena, a Welcome Reception to meet and talk with the trainers and judges, a VIP welcome gift, admission to the VIP Room upstairs and 20 per cent off in the Mane Event souvenir booth. Visit www. maneeventexpo.com under the tickets tab for more information.

The Mane Event is pleased to announce that special giveaways will take place at both expos (Red Deer and Chilliwack) this year in celebration of their 10 Year Anniversary. Watch their Facebook page, website and future articles for information on this.

For additional information on the other clinicians, tickets and show hours visit www. maneeventexpo.com or call (250) 578-7518. See you in April!

Co n f e r e n c e

Dr. Deb Bennett featured speaker at Kamloops equine event Founder of Equine Studies Institute to present at third Annual Horse Council B.C. Equine Education Conference

O

n January 19 & 20, 2013 HCBC is pleased to present the third Annual Equine Education Conference being held at the Kamloops Convention Centre in Kamloops, B.C. This two day event features eight keynote speakers talking about all things equine.

We are pleased to present Dr. Deb Bennett, founder of the Equine Studies Institute in Livingstone, California. Have you always wanted to know what makes your horse tick? Or what it was like to “walk a mile in your horse’s shoes?”

Then Deb could be the speaker you’ve been longing to see and hear! She is a world-renowned speaker on horse behaviour and conformation.

Deb doesn’t confine her work to the chalkboard; she rides and trains horses as well, having participated in nearly every form of horse competition for over 30 years. She is not discipline or breed specific, believing that the cut of a person’s hat or the style of their saddle matters not to a horse.

Deb’s focus revolves around practical problem solving. She considers ‘play’ that develops the horse’s mind a top priority.

Saturday Session Principles of Conformation, Dr. Deb Bennett’s three popular volumes of Principles of Conformation Analysis are world renowned, providing the most comprehensive insight into equine structure and its effects on movement, soundness, and performance.

Whether you’re looking for a comfortable pleasure mount or a grand prix mount, learn techniques to improve your eye for conformation.

And no matter how you’re involved in the horse industry — as a rider, trainer, breeder or buyer — you will learn simple methods for analyzing hind legs and detecting lame backs, practical help in evaluating your own horse, how to minimize conformational limitations, and maximize your horse’s performance, whatever his breed or sport.

Dick Sigler has been an AQHA-approved judge for over 35 years and will be the keynote speaker at the Horse Council of BC Equine Education Conference

Sunday Session The Secret to Understanding What Makes Horses Tick. Gain understanding of why your horse did THAT!? This seminar will be very interactive and you can ask questions related to your horses behaviour. You will come away with increased sensitivity to what your horse is “saying,” and increase your ability to “read” his intentions.

It’s all about what makes him “tick” on the inside! Try this path to horsemanship that is effective, enlightening, and completely enjoyable for both rider and horse.

For more information about the 2013 Equine Education Conference in Kamloops or to reserve tickets please visit: www.hcbc. ca/2013-speakers.html or call 1-800-345-8055.

Horse Expo

Equine Extravaganza at Saskatchewan Equine Expo

Second year event bigger and better in Saskatoon, February 15-17

H

eading into its second year, the Saskatchewan Equine Expo continues to fulfill its objective to present equine related lectures, presentations, demonstrations, entertainment and opportunities focusing on the equine industry. Whether participants and spectators are amateurs or professionals, they will experience the newest equine products, techniques and services.

Due to the overwhelming success of the evening Equine Extravaganza in 2012, an additional performance will be added on Friday evening. Both the Friday and Saturday performances will feature the Parade of Breeds, an exhibition performance by Paul Dufresne, the fence work component of Canada’s Ultimate Cow Horse Competition, and a demonstration by the Miniature Horse Association.

A new feature of the weekend will be a guided tour of the Ryan/ Dubé Equine Performance Centre at the University of Saskatchewan. A limited number of participants will be accepted for this special tour and pre-registration is required. Forms are available on the website.

Dale Clearwater will return to defend his Championship title in the very popular Trainer’s Challenge. Joining Dale in the competi-

The Equine Extravaganza has been expanded to go on both Friday and Saturday nights.

tion this year are Clint Christianson from Bracken, Sask. and Jesse Lussier from Ste. Rose du Lac, Man. This was definitely one of the highlights of the 2012 event as the audience was captivated by the horsemanship skills of these professional trainers.

Throughout the weekend, the Western College of Veterinary Medicine will conduct seminars and demonstrations relating to current equine issues.

Additional features include clinician Paul Dufresne who will provide a hands-on clinic. Participants

will learn to use natural horsemanship, classical riding skills, operant conditioning techniques, creativity and fun to improve the partnership between horse and owner.

The Saskatchewan Jumping Horse Association will demo a “Power and Speed” event where speed and jumps will be combined for top score.

The Saskatchewan Ultimate Cowboy Challenge Club will demo an ‘extreme’ challenge course for top honors; and the Alberta Donkey and Mule Club will demonstrate the versatility of the their breed.

Prairieland Park’s Trade and Convention Centre will host the trade show which has been expanded, adding an additional 13,000 square feet of space.

Attendees will have the opportunity to see everything from horse trailers and stalls to western art, décor, and the very latest in equine technology, products and services.

The trade show venue will also include the Information Theatre hosted by the WCVM veterinarians and industry experts providing information on various equine related topics.

For full schedule, details and entry forms and visit the website at www.saskatchewanequineexpo. com.

36

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

ASSOCIATION NEWS goo d cause

Amazing Race captures $19,300 for STARS

T

he Amazing Backcountry Race wrapped up it’s first season with an incredible success! $19,300 was raised for STARS. There were a total of 18 caches placed throughout the Alberta Rockies spanning a distance of 460 km from the Kananaskis to the

Wilmore. Riders had the summer to locate the caches using directions and GPS coordinates. Each cache contained prizes, items left behind by other riders, and a log book.

Eight-six people from all over Alberta registered to participate, some as far away as Medicine Hat

and Bonnyville. The caches were found a total of 140 times and there were a whopping 458 photos submitted by the riders. In addition to finding caches, riders raised money for STARS through pledges made online. Hundreds of donations comprised the grand total of $19,300.

h orse export s

Please visit www.abcrace.com for a complete listing of prize sponsors and supporters. The website also features sections for riders to live chat with one another as well as provide live feed of trail conditions and locations, including photo galleries.

H o rse racing

Spruce Meadows horses jump to China

Alberta racetrack back on track EYE ON THE INDUSTRY News from the equine community

By Robyn Moore Horse Industry Association of Alberta

Chen Yajun, Spruce Meadows President Linda Southern-Heathcott, and Li Zi sign off on the first ever export sale agreement of show jumpers from Canada to China. The 6 Spruce Meadows bred Hanoverians are destined to Hangzhou west of Shanghai

H

istory was made this past December when six Spruce Meadows horses became the first ever Canadian horses to be sold and exported to China.

The six Spruce Meadows bred Hanoverian horses were chosen by a delegation of Chinese horsemen after a meticulous inspection and trial earlier this year. The horses have since been going through rigourous preexport protocols and lifted off, destined for an importation facility near Shanghai where they arrived happy and healthy.

“The horse sports are enjoying remarkable growth in China and Spruce Meadows is proud to be providing a new generation of Chinese Show Jumpers

If you would like to be involved in the 2013 Amazing Backcountry Race for STARS by sponsorship or fundraising, or for more information on global equine geocaching, please contact the organizers, Brenda Murdock or Scott Phillips at amazingbackcountry@gmail.com.

with a new generation of quality horses,” said Spruce Meadows president Linda SouthernHeathcott.

“Spruce Meadows has been active for some time assisting the Chinese in developing their capabilities in the equestrian sports. Prior to the 2008 Olympic Games, we assisted with the training and certification of many Chinese officials that worked during the Games.

We are honoured that now we are able to provide some of the horse power that may carry Chinese athletes to future games and championships.”

The six young horses now in China were foaled between 2009 and 2011 and carry with them the quality and reputation of

Spruce Meadows, which has seen its horses exported around the world since 1975.

Recently China identified sport as a top priority in the Government’s 10 Year Plan and Spruce Meadows has a unique international reputation in the sport as a leading venue, organizer, and producer of top quality horses and riders.

In addition to the technical and governance assistance provided for the 2008 Olympiad, and today’s export of young horses, Spruce Meadows is currently working with Chinese authorities in developing a training and high performance model to allow Chinese riders to compete at an international level in the future.

Proposed new Alberta racetrack Century Casinos from Colorado have announced plans for a racetrack in the Calgary area. They have signed credit and management agreements with United Horsemen of Alberta Inc. in connection with the development of the proposed racetrack and entertainment center in Balzac.

The proposed project would consist of a 11/16th mile racetrack and a Racing Entertainment Centre, including a gaming floor proposing 625 gaming machines, a bar, a lounge, restaurant facilities, an offtrack-betting area, and an entertainment area.

T he Alber ta Gaming Commission still has to approve the casino licence and project, and development applications are still

before Rocky View County. Once approved, it’s estimated that the racetrack and entertainment centre will be completed in 12-18 months.

Care and Handling of Equines Equine Canada and the National Farm Animal Care Council (NFACC) are pleased to announce the launch of the public comment period on the draft Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Equines.

The draft Code can be viewed and submissions made at nfacc.ca/ codes-of-practice/equine until February 14, 2013. All stakeholders are encouraged to provide input to ensure that this Code reflects a common understanding of equine care expectations and recommended practices in Canada.

A Scientists’ Committee report summarizing research on priority welfare topics for equines can be found online alongside the draft Code. This peer-reviewed report aided the discussions of the Code Development Committee as they prepared the draft Code of Practice.

event

Canada’s Ultimate Cow Horse Competition This coming February, in conjunction with the Saskatchewan Equine Expo (Feb. 15th-17), Canada’s Ultimate Cow Horse Competition will be held.

This will compare with the World’s Greatest Horseman competition that is held in conjunction with the NRCHA’s World show in San Angelo, Texas.

It will consist of 12 competitors competing in all three elements of a Reined Cow Horse — the herd work, the reined work, and the all exciting fence work. Up for grabs will be not only the bragging rights but a substantial purse.

There are very few other primer Reined Cow Horse events across Canada, and none in Saskatchewan. As the horse industry continues to grow in Saskatchewan, the organizers feel this is the perfect venue to showcase the sport.

The competition will be broken up so the herd work and reined work will run during the afternoon, but the exciting fence work will run during the evening performances in front of sold out crowds.

For more information, contact Teri Clearwater at 306-544-2421; or Brad Blackmore at brad.blackmore@usask.ca.

HORSESALL.COM

HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

37

ASSOCIATION NEWS New arena

Rimbey Agrim project moves forward 60,000 sq. ft. multi-purpose building to host rodeos, horse events, and trade shows

T

he Rimbey Agricultural Society heads into 2013 with plans for the group’s most ambitious project ever. At the annual general meeting December 6, members heard an update on the Agrim Centre facility located in Rimbey, Alberta.

The $3.4 million building will boast close to 60,000 square feet of space, including a riding arena and 900 seat grandstand, plus meeting space and a board room. It’s to be located inside the existing track and infield of the rodeo grounds.

“We’re excited to move forward with the Agrim,” said Rimbey Ag Society President Will Mackinaw. “It’s going to be a big year for our group, and we look forward to support from the community.”

“Our feasibility study showed the potential for a two million dollar annual boost to the town of Rimbey from the building,” added Agrim spokesman Tim Edge.

A 3D model of the planned ag recreation facility was shown at the group’s meeting.

Features include an outside balcony, and use of new ‘green’ technology in construction, such as a solar wall, and the ability to collect rainwater for the building’s non-potable water needs.

The project has been in the works for

“The possibilities for its uses are limited only by imagination, because it’s designed to be so multi-functional.”

— Tim Edge

about a year, but organizers say the need for such a facility has been evident for years.

“Our old building has been too small for any feasible equine or bovine events in central Alberta,” said Edge. “After seeing the success of the Ponoka Ag Events Centre, our Ag Society decided to follow suit, with the full support of Ponoka County.”

In fact, the County has already committed a million dollars over two years to the project.

While some might question whether the region could support two large new ag buildings, Edge is confident the demand is already there.

“We’ve already had calls from numerous rodeo and horse groups, as well as oil related companies looking for trade show space. We

The new Agrim Centre in Rimbey, Alberta will make use of green technology such as a solar wall and a rainwater collection system.

can pencil in a profit if it’s used even thirty weekends a year, and we think that’s an achievable goal.”

“The possibilities for its uses are limited only by imagination, because it’s designed to be so multi-functional.”

The first phase of the project, which included the feasibility study, is complete, and a down payment has been made. Phase two, with some initial construction, is slated

to begin early in the new year, after blueprints are completed.

“We appreciate the County’s support,” Edge noted. “We’re still looking for individuals and corporate partners to help make the facility a reality.”

A website with the latest information on the Agrim building project has also been launched at www.agrim.ca. For further information, contact Tim Edge at 403-354-6730.

N ews brief

calendar of events Send your announcement by email to: Itkdbell@yahoo.ca and we'll include your event or announcement here free.

Special Emergency Response Units for livestock go province wide Specialized trailers to include portable panels, steel-cutting saws, generators, lights, ropes, and halters.

CLINICS & SEMINARS

JANUARY

Ponoka, Alta.

Ranch Horse Versatility Clinic. For details, contact Rose Hagemann: 403-350-8324 or Tammy Taylor: 403-704-0423.

EQUINE EVENTS

JANUARY

11-13 Red Deer, Alta.

Alberta Horse Owners and Breeders Conference. Featuring internationally recognized speakers on a wide range of topics of interest to horse owners, breeders and professionals. For details, visit: www. albertahorseindustry.ca 18-32 Kamloops, B.C. Horse Council British Columbia 2013 Coaches Professional Development Day and Breeders Conference. For details, call: 800345-8055 or visit: www.hcbc.ca

WESTERN PERFORMANCE

JANUARY

26 Whitewood, Sask.

Saskatchewan Sabre Quarter Horse Ranch Winter Cutting Series. For details, visit: www. scha.ca

SHOWS & COMPETITIONS

JANUARY

5 Calgary, Alta.

Schooling Days at Diamond Willow Stables. For details, contact Cheryl Tycholis: 403-992-7433, email: diamondwillowstables@ me.com or visit: www.diamondwillowstables.ca 12 Calgary, Alta.

Schooling Days at Diamond Willow Stables. For details, contact Cheryl Tycholis: 403-992-7433, email: diamondwillowstables@ me.com or visit: www.diamondwillowstables.ca 19 Calgary, Alta.

Schooling Days at Diamond Willow Stables. For details, contact Cheryl Tycholis: 403-992-7433, email: diamondwillowstables@ me.com or visit: www.diamondwillowstables.ca 26 Calgary, Alta.

Schooling Days at Diamond Willow Stables. For details, contact Cheryl Tycholis: 403-992-7433, email: diamondwillowstables@ me.com or visit: www.diamondwillowstables.ca 28-29 Calgary, Alta.

Rocky Mountain Show Jumping Winter Training Series I Jumper. For details, visit: www. rmshowjumping.com

By Dianne Finstad Red Deer, Alta.

E

mergency situations involving livestock present unique challenges. But Alberta is leading the nation in an effort to provide specialized response equipment and training to help in such situations.

Five new “livestock ER” trailers were showcased at a news conference in Ponoka on November 30. The specially equipped units have gone to key areas of the province to support the care and welfare of the millions of head of livestock transported annually on roads throughout the province.

The idea for such a fleet began with the vision of groups in Red Deer County and Ponoka, who developed similar livestock handling trailers for their own areas. A steering committee under Alberta Farm Animal Care (AFAC) was set up to expand the project.

The equine industry’s leading animal welfare spokesman, Bill desBarres, who chairs the Horse Welfare Alliance of Canada, was involved in the effort.

“Horses travel more than other livestock species, in terms of how many times they travel,” said desBarres. “As we grow in the livestock industry and with more traffic on the road, we need to grow in terms of the

welfare of the animals when there are unfor tunate incidents.”

“These trailers are a tremendous start towards an area that has not been looked at very well for many years. There are probably more incidents of smaller proportion in the horse end of it, where smaller trailers get in difficulty on the road, and have incidents where the animals are at risk. When animals are at risk, people are at risk.”

“This is a great step forward with these new trailers. We just need another four or five or six of them in the province, and we’d have good coverage.”

The Alberta Equestrian Federation Industry Chair adds the trailers will also be useful in situations like fires and floods, for containing and moving livestock.

Heading up the livestock ER trailers project were Greg Bowie, a Ponoka rancher and Alberta Beef Producers representative, and Floyd Mullaney, retired RCMP Livestock Member.

“The first responder (in an emergency) now has tools to do the job he’s trained to do,” explained Mullaney.

The trailers are stocked with equipment like saws to open up steel on overturned trailers, mobile pens to contain animals, generators, lights, halters, and ropes.

“I can see a lot of thought has gone into the development of the equipment in the trailers, based on experience dealing with difficult situations,” commented Alberta Agriculture Minister Verlyn Olson, who was part of the launch.

Wetaskiwin MP Blaine Calkins, representing the federal government, said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz applauded the proactive approach to enhancing the safety and welfare of stock.

The project received $323,000 in funding through the federalprovincial Growing Forward program. Another key component of the project is providing the training for emergency responders, and Lakeland College is developing a two day program specifically for the livestock handling trailers, at its Emergency Training Centre at Vermilion.

A FAC E xe c u t i ve D i re c to r Lorna Baird says other provinces are looking at this project as a model they can use as well. She added AFAC will be collecting reports on how the trailers are used to help build the program.

Animal movement patterns were used to help determine where the trailers will be situated. They will go to the MD of Willowcreek, Cypress County, Westlock County and Vermilion River County, with the fifth trailer going to the Alberta SPCA as an Alberta-wide roaming unit.

38

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HORSES ALL • JANUARY 2013

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Prepayment Bonus: Prepay for 3 weeks and get a bonus of 2 weeks; bonus weeks run consecutively and cannot be used separately from original ad; additions and changes accepted only during first 3 weeks.

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Equitrekking.com Launches Travel Deals Exclusive Dude Ranch Bargains & Specials on Horseback Riding Vacations

The travel experts behind the Emmy-winning PBS TV show, Equitrekking, and popular companion website Equitrekking.com, have launched a brand new Equitrekking.com Travel Deals page featuring exclusive dude ranch discounts and bargains on horseback riding vacations you won’t find offered anywhere else.

The Equitrekking.com Travel Deals page is continually updated with the latest travel deals at ranches, resorts, castles and with pack trip tour operators who offer horse riding and adventure vacations. Many of the featured vacations are with small, family owned businesses, whose deals aren’t available on major travel deals websites.

Current Travel Deals include last minute holiday family ranch vacations, winter girlfriend getaways at Arizona dude ranches, special discounts on wild horse tours in Wyoming, all-inclusive guest ranch bargains, “learn to horse ride” packages at an Irish castle and more.

“The Equitrekking.com Travel Deals page is similar to Travelzoo or Orbitz, but for the horsey set,” said Darley Newman, the host and producer of Equitrekking, and an awardwinning entrepreneur. “It’s part of our continuing effort to bring true value to people interested in horse riding while on their vacation and making Equitrekking.com a one-stop site to research, plan, dream and learn about the best dude ranch and riding vacations.”

In addition to being listed on Equitrekking.com, subscribers can find travel bargains in the free Equitrekking e-Newsletter.

Equitrekking.com features a variety of riding vacation resources, including four special interest blogs and the Equitrekking Vacation Guide, a global guide to dude ranches, guest ranches, cattle drives and riding holidays.

Launched in 2004, the Equitrekking Vacation Guide educates singles, families and groups of travelers seeking a vacation involving horse experiences. The team has also produced a TV Special for PBS, “Great American Ranches,” highlighting the history of dude ranches in America and recently launched Top20Ranches.com, featuring their top twenty ranch vacations in North America.

In addition to their online resources, Equitrekking has produced 35 episodes of their Emmy Award-winning series, which has won two Daytime Emmy Awards and received five nominations.

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er on door, padded dividers, wall mat, double

organizer on door, padded dividers, wall mat,

room, 1’added, water tank, organizer on door,

doors w/air space, air space along side, spare,

rear doors, windows butt side, drop down feed

double rear doors, windows butt side, drop

padded dividers, wall mat, double rear doors,

all aluminum.

doors w/faceguards, roof vents, floor mats,

down feed doors w/faceguards, roof vents,

air space along butt side, drop down feed

spare, all aluminum.

floor mats, spare, loading lights, 5200# axles,

doors w/faceguards, floor mats, spare, Smooth

all aluminum.

aluminum sidewalls, two tone, loading lights, all aluminum.

403-931-2212 www.bart5trailers.com

Located on the Cowboy Trail 10 Miles S.W. of Calgary on Hwy #22 at 274th Ave